A/N: This chapter is all Bethyl goodness! I poured my heart into this one. Hope you enjoy it!
Chpt 8: Promises
9AM: The ride to the campus police station was blessedly short. Beth grabbed a coffee at the hotel Starbucks and headed to the car as Daryl stepped out of the elevator. "Ha! Beat 'cha!" she thought when she caught his eye and motioned toward the lobby doors. He was just stepping outside holding his own cup when she pulled the car around. She had decided this morning, standing in front of the steam clouded mirror, not to think about those toe-curling kisses, not one more second. If Daryl couldn't finish what he started, that was his problem, and she'd be damned if she let him effect her ever again. She held her chin high, sipped her coffee, and hummed along with the radio all the way to campus. Daryl, per usual, kept himself quiet in the passenger seat.
The campus police station was exactly what you would expect: small, stale, and quiet. Half of the force consisted of unarmed college students tasked with writing tickets and patrolling pedestrian trails while the other half seemed a little more functional. Beth and Daryl met with the officer in charge, Sergeant Michael Pickens, who informed them that Gareth West had not even earned a parking ticket while a student at the university. He was, however, questioned when a bottle of injectable anesthetic went missing in the research lab where he worked, "but it looks like it was resolved internally. You could speak to Dr. Morgan about that. He was the professor in charge."
"That was quite a while ago," Professor Joseph Morgan said as he continued to rifle through the stacks and stacks of papers on his desk. "Best I remember, the bottle turned up and the investigation was dropped."
"What did you use the ketamine for, professor?" Beth inquired.
"To sedate the mice before procedures and euthanasia."
"What can you tell us about Gareth West?"
He paused in thought. "Good kid. Hard worker."
"Did he quit or..."
"Yes. He lost it over a girl."
"How do you mean?"
"Students date and break up. There's always drama, you know? But this was different. I got the feeling he wasn't moving on."
"Don't s'pose you remember her name," Daryl asked
"It was a long time ago, Detective."
"Professor Morgan," Beth said pointing to the picture ID hanging around his neck, "your badge is also a card swipe, right."
"Yes, you have to swipe your badge to get into the research labs."
"So Mr. West would have had a similar badge?"
"Yes, why?"
"Any chance you still have that badge?"
"That would be a question for the department secretary. I'll ask her and give you a call."
"Thank you, sir," Beth said and handed him her card.
Beth and Daryl stepped into the late morning sun. "Which way?"
Beth pulled out her cartoon-like map of the campus. "Student Outreach Center. That way."
The outreach center was a hub of activity. Behind the horse shoe shaped desk, Beth and Daryl found a young man eager to help. "That's weird," he said and made a face at the monitor.
"Let me guess. All of his information has been deleted," Beth said, not even trying to disguise her frustration. "Do you have any paper files?"
"We used to keep everything on paper. Up until a year or so ago. We back up everything off site now, so there's no need."
"He would've worked here two and a half, three years ago," Daryl said.
"Hang on. Let me get Levi. He's worked here longer than that."
Levi Brown led them to a small storage closet full of old notebooks. "We dumped everything in here until we could get the okay to destroy it. You're welcome to look through it."
"You have got to be kidding me," Beth whined. When Levi said, "dumped", he literally meant dumped. Piles of appointment books had been tossed haphazardly into the center of the tiny room.
"If it helps, the notebooks are labeled by date and subject."
"Levi, did you know Gareth West," Beth asked, all hint of frustration gone from her sweet voice.
"I knew him a little. He was really good at math."
"Did he ever mention a girlfriend?"
Levi chuckled, "No. No girlfriend. He was nice but he wasn't exactly great with the ladies. If you need anything, just yell."
Daryl held his arm out giving her a silent, "ladies first," and followed her in. They cleared two spots on the floor and set to work. Forty-five minutes later, Daryl stopped to stretch his back. He watched Beth as she continued to sort through stacks of old tutoring appointment books.
"Gonna' get a wrinkle," he mumbled with a smirk.
Beth looked up at him, taking a second to shift gears and process what he had just said. She realized she was frowning and tried to relax her face. "Look who's talkin'. Pretty sure your scowl is a registered trademark."
"Mmm," he grumbled but the twitch of his upper lip had her grinning. Moments later, Daryl found a stack of math appointment books within the date range they were searching for. Three names popped consistently over an eight month period just prior to West's departure from school. Beth grabbed her phone and called Mrs. Grieve.
Daryl leaned against the doorframe and watched Beth slowly pace up and down the narrow hallway. How could she be so damn tough and so damn beautiful all at the same time? And what the hell was he thinkin', kissin' her like he did last night? Holdin' her like his life depended on it? She deserved better than a piece of shit like him. Didn't matter that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his entire life. Didn't matter that he always felt like smilin' when he was with her. Didn't matter that her light burned away the darkness that he carried around inside of him. Didn't matter that his heart stuttered in his chest at the sight of her or that he was willing to do whatever it took to make her happy for the rest of his life. What mattered was that he was a Dixon, and no good could ever come from that.
"Andrea Kirkman," she said stopping in front of him. "One of our names. She disappeared from her dorm on campus two and a half years ago. No body. Case was never closed. She could be ground zero."
4PM: Detective Hector Ortega was a seasoned detective. He was only forty-three, but he had been a cop for twenty of those forty-three years and had risen quickly through the ranks. His partner, Detective Trevor Bailey was young and eager. The Andrea Kirkman case had been his first case to go cold and he was still haunted by it.
"Yeah, that case was a bitch," Detective Ortega said glancing at his partner. "Kirkman was a sophomore. By all accounts she was smart, friendly, not an enemy one. She was a pretty little thing too. Best I recall, she had been to a fraternity dance the night she disappeared. Her date was a friend. Said he dropped her off at her dorm a little after midnight. Walked her to the door and watched her go inside. Security footage confirmed he went back to his room shortly thereafter. Roommate said he didn't go out again that night."
"Did you like him for it," Daryl asked.
"No, I really didn't. He was pretty upset by the whole thing. Seemed genuine. Alibi checked out."
"Did the name Gareth West come up in your investigation?"
"Doesn't sound familiar, but let me grab my notes," he said and excused himself to the back of the squad room.
"What's got the FBI stirred up again over this case," Detective Bailey finally spoke. "It's not like you guys were any help the first time you poked around."
"The first time?" Beth questioned.
"Agent showed up about three weeks after the case went cold. He looked through all our notes, and said he would be in touch. Never heard another thing from him."
Beth looked at Daryl with a deep frown and turned back to Bailey. "You said 'he'. Was there just one agent?"
"Yep, just one."
"Do you have a name?"
"Should be in the notes."
Ortega returned with a dusty evidence box in hand. "This is everything we have. As you can see, it isn't much, but you're welcome to it. Let me just look through my list of names. West, you said?"
"Yes, Gareth West. He was her math tutor."
"Let's see... Yeah, Gareth West. We interviewed him a few days after the disappearance. He lived in her dorm. Friends said he would show up at different times and places, but there was no real interaction. Seemed like maybe he had a crush on her, but nothing significant turned up. He was never forward or inappropriate according to the friends closest to Kirkman."
"Detective Bailey said that the bureau was involved at one point."
"You know that was really strange. One of your agents showed up weeks after the investigation stalled. He looked at my notes and asked if we had photographs or videos of our interviews. I remember because one, he showed up out of nowhere so late into the investigation and, two, we don't routinely photograph or video anyone unless we haul 'em in as a suspect. It was more like this guy was just being nosey, you know. He was pretty useless when he was here. No offense, Agent Greene."
"None take ," she assured him. "Do you have the agent's name?"
"Uh, yeah, I should," he said as he flipped through his notebook. "Here it is. Agent Philip Blake."
Stunned, Beth's eyes went wide. "You're sure?"
"That's what I wrote down. Why? You know him?"
"Yes," she said regaining her composure. "He's a good agent. I'm sure he did everything he could to help."
"Could we see a photo of Kirkman," Daryl asked purposefully shifting the conversation.
Ortega passed him the photo and told him to keep it. He had more copies. Andrea Kirkman fit the profile exactly. She was the profile. Ground Zero. And Daryl's gut was tellin' him that Gareth West was the man responsible.
Beth stood and thanked the men for their time. She needed to get out of the squad room as soon as possible. She pulled out her phone on the way to the car. "This is Agent Greene calling again. Is Mrs. Grieve still in her office?... Thank you... Yes, hello. I just have a couple of follow-up questions if you don't mind... I'm sure you're familiar with the disappearance of Andrea Kirkman... That's right. Do you recall speaking with an agent from the bureau during that investigation?... Do you remember his name?... Would he have had access to your computer as part of that investigation?... Thank you, Mrs. Grieve. You've been very helpful."
Daryl watched her, following her with his eyes as she paced and talked on the phone. What the hell was Blake doin' here? More importantly, what was his involvement gonna' do to Beth? He knew she trusted him, cared about him as a friend and a mentor.
Beth walked back to the car where Daryl leaned against the trunk. He rose to meet her. "Mrs. Grieve spoke to a single agent investigating Andrea Kirkman's disappearance. She didn't remember his name, but she said he spent the afternoon on her assistant's computer with complete access to student records. He had a court order from a federal judge."
Daryl drew in a breath. He had learned a long time ago to trust his gut, and right now his gut was screaming that this was bad, really bad. "You think he was wipin' West from the system?"
She didn't need to answer. The look on her face said she did, in fact, think that that was exactly what Blake was doing. It killed him to see her hurting like that.
"Why? Why would he do it? I don't get it." Hurt had quickly morphed into anger. Betrayal tended to do that to a person. Beth had her arms crossed over her chest. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were on fire. She threw her head back. "Think. I need to think."
Daryl stepped forward and took hold of her shoulders. "Hey, let's go back to the hotel. We can take a walk, talk it out like we used ta'."
She sighed deeply and he felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. Daryl's hands slid lightly down her arms, landing at her elbows. He bent down to meet her eyes. "Yeah?"
Beth nodded and slid into the passenger seat without arguing.
By the time Daryl made it to the driver's side, Beth was on the phone, seemingly completely composed. She was instructing someone on the other end to speak to a friendly federal judge, one she knew by name, that would allow them complete access to Gareth West's juvenile history. She finished with an order to report back directly to her with the findings.
Daryl was impressed and that was saying something. He wasn't sure if he had the right to be proud of her, but he figured he was anyway. He knew Beth could take care of herself. He trusted her with his own ass, but his gut was telling him that this shit was gonna' get bad, and it stirred up that protective edge he had always felt where Beth was concerned.
"That was my friend Holly at the bureau. She said she would let me know something by tonight."
Daryl nodded, no hint of all he was feeling and thinking in his expression. "Ya' hungry?"
"Maybe somethin' quick. I want to get back to my computer."
Daryl had just finished his shower and grabbed the remote when Beth burst through the connecting door. Her face was flushed and her breaths were ragged and quick. Tears pricked at her eyes setting Daryl on high alert. "What?" he demanded
"I pulled Blake's file. I thought I remembered him telling me he went to Penn State. He's from Pennsylvania, Daryl. He worked in the Allentown office after he graduated. It's unusual to catch an assignment anywhere near your hometown unless you graduate first in your class and choose that, but Blake is fluent in Lebanese, Arabic, and French... all native languages to the Lebanese people. There's a huge contingent of Lebanese and Muslim people in the Allentown area. Thus, his assignment."
"Slow down. What are ya' gettin' at?"
"Holly called. Gareth West's mother, Mary, was twenty-three when he was born. There's no father listed on the birth certificate. Shortly after Gareth's birth, Mary West started to build quite the arrest record for everything from public indecency to public intoxication, possession, and prostitution. Nothing prior to his birth. Mary had an address in Allentown." Beth paused and drew in a shaky breath. "She lived there two years before Gareth was born. Around the time of his birth, she moved to Mansfield to live with her mother, Deloris West, where Gareth lived until he was sent to foster care. Deloris still lives at that address."
"Your thinkin', what, Blake knew his mom?"
Beth ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know... I."
Daryl tossed the remote on the bed. "Come on. Let's walk. I can't think in here."
They took the stairs and ended up on a short nature trail behind the hotel. It wasn't dense and isolated like the woods back home where he used to take her hunting, but it was green and quiet, and they could see the moon and the stars overhead. Beth felt like she could breath again.
"Daryl," she said, voice stronger and calmer, "Blake's connected. I don't know how, but there's somethin' there. He spent four years in Allentown. From there, he transferred to Virginia. He spent seven years in that office before being transferred to Greensboro. After that, he landed in Atlanta. There was nothing unusual about any of the transfers. Blake is single. He can pack up and leave without too much trouble. Each transfer was initiated by the bureau, based on need because of a retirement or a transfer."
"You think West is trackin' him?"
"I don't know. We need to see if we can connect either Mary West or Gareth to Blake."
"How far is Mansfield from here?"
"Couple of hours, maybe."
"Allentown?"
"It's closer, but it's huge. Third largest city in Pennsylvania. I think Mansfield is our better bet."
"Mansfield it is."
"I don't get it, Daryl. Why didn't Blake say anything when I gave him Gareth West's name?"
Daryl shook his head. Ideas and theories were bouncing around in there, but he wasn't quite ready to share. "Do you trust him?"
Beth stopped and considered his question. "Not like I trust you... But, yeah, I trust him. At least I did... Now, I don't know... I need to call this in... Tell Zach."
"Iduno', maybe you should wait. See what we find in Mansfield."
"Blake's gonna' know I pulled his file." The weight of what was happening settled into her shoulders.
Daryl stepped to her, arms landing at her elbows and Beth fell willingly into his chest. "We'll figure this out."
She nodded into his chest and inhaled a deep, nose full of Daryl. He smelled like timber and pine, and it settled her. Composed, she took one small step back from him, just enough to look up and catch his eyes. Something shifted in her expression. It made him want to start fidgeting. "Daryl, what happened... before... with us?"
It was rare that Daryl was caught off guard. It made him defensive. "You left," he spat with a little more venom than he intended.
Beth knew she had ambushed him, but right now, she was tired and weighed down, and she needed to get through this so that they could move on, so that she could clear her head and focus on the task at hand. Daryl backed away from her, hackles up.
"You kissed me, Daryl. You finally kissed me, after all those months of talkin' and spendin' time together. I thought it meant somethin'."
"It did."
"Then why'd you push me away?"
"I didn't! That was all you, girl," he hissed.
"You acted like a jackass! Like nothin' that happened between us mattered! It was bullshit, and you know it."
"Is that what you think?"
"It's what I know," she said voice cracking on the last word. Anger gave way to hurt, and she nearly choked on the swell of tears caught in her throat.
"You don't know nothin'," he fired back.
"I know you and I were workin' on somethin' good... somethin' lastin' and you walked away... just 'cause you were afraid."
He lunged into her space and growled, "I ain't afraid 'a nothin'"
Beth held her own. "I remember. I was there when the Sargeant told you your brother had been in that wreck. I was with you at the hospital when he died. Heaven forbid you let anybody else get too close. You tried to shut down then, but I wouldn't let you... You don't get it, Daryl..."
"No, you don't get it! Maybe I could 'a done somethin'. Maybe if I hadn't given' up on him... Merle. That's on me... You leavin'? That's on you." He was twitching and finger pointing and yelling like there was no tomorrow. "You took off to join the FBI like some too-good-for-the-rest-of-us college bitch."
"It wasn't like that! I needed to get out from under my daddy's shadow. Make it on my own. You would know that if you'd 'a just talked to me, instead of pushin' me away. I always intended on comin' back to Atlanta... back to you."
Daryl's heart stuttered in his chest, and he let out a breath like he'd been punched. She was telling the truth. He could see it in her eyes. It was too much and he spun away from her. "You deserve better than a piece 'a shit, like me."
"You're an idiot, Daryl Dixon, but you're not a piece 'a shit." He stiffened when her arms snaked around his waist from behind. "Just tell me the truth."
"Truth..." Daryl shook his head and dropped his chin to his chest. He couldn't lie to her. Daryl Dixon was a lot of things, but a liar wasn't one of 'em. Beth kept holding him, pressing her cheek against his back. He finally stilled, arms limp at his sides. "Truth is, you were right," he half mumbled. "I missed you so bad when you were gone." It was her turn to tense. Daryl covered her arms with his, holding her to him. "I figured you'd run off to Virginia and some hot shot fed would scoop you up. Thought it'd be better to just go ahead and let ya' go, you know?"
"And now?"
Daryl felt her heart pounding against his back. It matched the run away rhythm of his own. "I ain't no good for ya' Beth. What I want and what's best just ain't the same thing."
Beth pulled away from him then, jaw set in determination. "Look at me, Daryl."
He threw his head back and sighed. "Look.. at.. me," she repeated, and he turned, eyes to the sky, hands deep in his pockets. Well, that wasn't gonna' fly, Beth decided. She stepped right up to him and cradled his cheeks in her hands, forcing his eyes to hers. "You're a good man, Daryl Dixon, and you can trust me on that because I know you better than anybody."
His entire being softened, and Beth hoped he believed her. She lowered her hands to his chest. "Do you remember when you were teaching me to use your crossbow, and I said something about bein' more likely to shoot myself in the foot than I was to shoot a rabbit?" His lip twitched a little at the memory. "Do you remember what you said to me?"
He frowned at her, not sure where she was going with this.
"You said, 'nah, you got this, girl. I believe in ya'," Beth said in her best Daryl Dixon impression. "No one ever believed in me, for me, before you, Daryl. I hear you in my head and it gives me strength."
"You don't need me, Beth."
"You're wrong. I do need you... I want you."
She meant it. He could see it in her eyes, and it overwhelmed him. The air around them hummed and Daryl's heart slammed against his chest. His instincts told him to run, but the way Beth was looking at him had him rooted in place. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were impossibly wide, beckoning him to her.
His hands found her hips on their own accord and slid slowly up and under her shirt to her waist, thumbs brushing lightly over soft, heated skin. She was so damn beautiful. More than that, she was smart and tough and good, and he just couldn't figure what the hell it was she saw in him.
She brushed the hair out of his eyes with fingers as soft as a spring rabbit's pelt. He watched her studying him. "You have a beautiful face," she whispered. He would have scoffed had he not been completely mesmerized by her touch. She trailed her fingers lightly over his eyebrow and followed the hard line etched deep between his eyes down and over the crook of his nose. She wondered, not for the first time, how and when he had broken his nose.
She cupped his face in her hands and smoothed her thumbs over his cheek bones. When her eyes again lifted to his, he was the one to close the distance between them. He kissed her softly, sliding his lips gently over hers. It was slow and sincere. The world around them faded away, and time bent to their will, existing only for them.
Beth's fingers threaded through his hair tugging him closer. As their tongues tasted, explored, and tangled together, Daryl slipped his arms around her waist and splayed his fingers against her back. A soft mew spilled from her lips and he knew, in that moment, that he would spend the rest of his days doing whatever it took to pull noises like that from her as often as he could.
The need for oxygen forced them apart, both panting and flushed. Lightheaded, Beth held tight to Daryl's shoulders. "You a'right?" he asked, voice deep and rough.
Beth licked her lips and nodded. A brilliant smile painted her beautiful face, nearly knocking him on his ass. "Better now, thank you."
"Best get back upstairs. Gettin' late."
Beth wasn't sure what she was expecting to happen when they reached their doors, but she figured she would let Daryl take the lead. He had slipped his hand over hers in the elevator, and Beth had weaved her fingers between his. She was surprised when he lifted their joined hands and ghosted his lips over her knuckles. When they reached his door first, and Daryl dropped her hand to fish out his key card, Beth made to continue on toward her door. Daryl's arm shot out from his side, grabbing her wrist and spinning her back to him.
"Where you goin', Greene," he gruffed and hauled her into his chest. She giggled, and Daryl thought it was the sweetest damn thing he had ever heard.
She swayed back and forth lazily in his arms. Daryl swept an errant curl from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "So we headed to Mansfield in the mornin'?"
"I think that's our best bet, don't you?"
"Mhmmm. I'm gonna' call Rick. Check in."
"I think I'll grab a shower. Figure out our route for tomorrow." The way her lithe fingers continued to play with the top button of his shirt told him she was as reluctant to let go as he was. She lifted her eyes to his and pinned him with her gaze. They stilled, and her hands flattened on his chest, one placed directly over his run away heart. His world narrowed and focused only on her. He kissed her softly, almost playfully, and it shocked him how natural, how right, it felt to hold her and kiss her and let all of those walls he hid behind fall away.
When his fingers tightened on her hips, Beth snaked her arms around his neck and tugged him closer. The slide of his tongue over hers sent a violent rush of heat to her core. She had been kissed before, but never so thoroughly. She melded into him fitting her soft curves to his hard lines. When desire threatened to carry them away like a runaway train, Daryl mustered all the strength he had to pull his lips from hers. She was quite the sight standing there in his arms with her plump, swollen lips and her flushed cheeks. It confounded him that he was the reason. The ding of the elevator had them pulling apart much too soon.
"Holler when you're settled," he mumbled and Beth shivered at the low, breathy roughness of his voice.
It was all she could do to get her key card in the door. When she stepped across the threshold and Daryl heard the muffled click of the lock, he headed inside for a nice, cool shower of his own.
It was late when the sudden loss of light through the connecting doors caught her attention. Daryl had stuck his head in earlier and told her he was going for food. He sat the takeout on the bed next to her and kissed her on the top of the head before retreating to his room and leaving her to her research. That was three hours ago.
Beth shut down her laptop and tiptoed to the connecting door. He was lying on his back across the bed in a black t-shirt and black boxer briefs, forearm throne over his eyes. Beth leaned against the doorframe and drank in the site of him. Her eyes traveled the length of his profile resting momentarily on what she could see of his rugged face. She watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and wondered what it what feel like, skin to skin, beneath her hands. She could see a sliver of naked skin just above the waistband of his boxers. The temptation to slide her hand across his core was almost to much to resist. Her eyes slipped dangerously lower and a fire ignited low in her gut.
"Come 'ere," he rasped, and Beth eeped in surprise.
"You scared the begeezers out of me," she giggled. "I thought you were asleep."
He chuckled, low and deep, eyes still masked by his forearm. The smirk he was wearing disappeared when he sat up and saw her standing in the doorway. She wore a light blue pajama tank with narrow satin straps and matching shorts that hung low on her hips. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair, a riotous mass of damp curls, shimmered in the soft light from the bedside lamp. Daryl had never wanted anything in his life like he wanted her.
He took his time as he raked his eyes from her eyes to her lips, pausing at her small, pert breasts, down to her hips and across the expanse of her long, athletic legs. He wondered, not for the first time, what those legs would feel like tangled up with his own.
Beth was nieve at best when it came to men, but even she could see the want in his eyes. The air around them nearly crackled with electricity. A tingle ran up her spine and through her heart culminating in the soft swell of her breasts. She had never seen his eyes so dark. They drew her to him like a moth to a flame.
When she reached him, she squared herself between his knees, and Daryl cupped her hips. The little circles he traced with his thumbs had her twitching in his hold. She ran trembling fingers through his hair making sure to sweep his bangs out of his eyes. He looked up at her through pupils blown wide with desire. Beth shifted forward placing one knee and then the other on either side of his thighs, effectively straddling his lap. Daryl's hands slipped beneath her shirt and splayed flat against her back while his lips went to work on her neck and shoulder. Beth arched into him, fingers scraping his scalp, drawing him closer.
In one deft move, Daryl had her on her back beneath him. He held her in place with a hard stare. "You sure 'bout this?"
Beth's foot slid up the back of his leg opening herself to him in reply.
"Beth..." She had never heard her name whispered in such a way. It was a question, a warning, and a prayer all in one.
"I'm sure that I want you, Daryl". And he didn't doubt it, but he also knew that they needed to take things slow.
Beth had asked him once when they were hunting together if he had ever been in love. He had given her an honest, if slightly irritated, "no". They were walking together through the woods looking for tracks. Usually Beth was pretty quiet in the woods, but that day she was feeling particularly chatty. She had proceeded then to ask him if he had ever had a serious girlfriend. "Why you askin' me that," he said never taking his eyes from the forest floor.
"'Cause I know that if you ever fall in love with someone, you're gonna' love 'em forever. I'm just wonderin' if your heart is still available."
She just about knocked him out of his boots. How in the hell did she know things like that about him? Beth walked on ahead oblivious to his sudden inability to move or think or maybe even breath. When she asked him straight up if he had ever had sex, he snapped to.
His gut reaction was to puff up and give her a loud, "Hell yeah, I've had sex." Anybody else askin' probably would have gotten a solid punch to the face just for the hell of it. But this was Beth, and she wasn't asking to judge or to be nosey. She was asking because she cared to know.
"I'm a grown man, Beth. What do you think?"
"I think I'm a grown woman, and I've never had sex."
You could have knocked him over with a feather. Was she trying to kill him? He stopped walking and Beth turned back to him with a little smirk on her face. "You surprised to hear that?"
Shock and awe. He was speechless. He shrugged his answer and mumbled something about it not being any of his damn business.
Beth just giggled. "I'm not ashamed of waiting to fall in love before I have sex. I think me and you are the same. Once I fall in love, that's it."
Her smirk grew into a grin. "You still haven't answered my question."
"Ain't goin' to neither."
"Oh come on, Daryl. I know it's different for men. You ever been with anybody special?"
Daryl thought about the nameless, faceless women he had been with. Wham, bam, and thank you mam pretty much summed it up. His choices were usually made by Merle and alcohol. Since he had cleaned himself up and become a cop, there had been very few women in his life, certainly no one special, not until now. He couldn't imagine at the time that Beth could ever see him as anything more than a friend. He had racked his brain trying to figure out why she seemed to like spending time with him at all. He couldn't really tell you how or when she had become such a huge part of his life. She had just sort of snuck up on him, unexpected, but now he couldn't remember what life was like without her.
"Nah, nobody special."
Her grin grew again morphing into the brightest, most beautiful smile he had ever seen. She looked like sunshine standing there in front of him and he knew, right then and there, that he wouldn't be able to survive without her light.
Looking at her now, trembling beneath him, he knew she was right. He was gonna' love her for the rest of his life, which meant there was plenty of time for this thing between them to unfold. He didn't want her first time to be in a hotel, in the middle of a tough case, when she was feeling vulnerable. He didn't want her to ever regret her first time.
"I want ya' to stay in here with me tonight. Jus' wanna' feel ya' next to me."
Hurt flashed in her eyes. "You don't want to be with me?"
"'Course I wanna' be with ya', girl... You're my somebody special. Don't ya' know that?"
Beth knew exactly what he meant and a soft smile graced her face.
"But I ain't gonna' have your first time be in no damn hotel room."
She giggled and Daryl actually smiled. Beth traced his jawline with her thumb and pinned him with her gaze. When she lifted her head and tugged him toward her, he was powerless to resist. She kissed him tenderly, opening her mouth to him on a soft mew. Daryl lowered himself to her, melting into her, lost in her kiss. Her hands slid to his back and her leg tightened around his waist. He pulled back just enough to see her face. "Beth... We gotta' stop or I won't be able to."
She caught her lower lip between her teeth and nodded. Daryl sat back and pulled the covers down next to her. Beth lifted her hips and scooted in against the cool sheets. They soothed her heated skin and caused her to shiver. "You cold?" he asked as he slid under the covers next to her and pulled her tight against him.
"Uhuh," Beth answered.
She pillowed her head on his chest and boldly threw her leg over his. Daryl's grip tightened on her hip. "Careful, girl."
Beth giggled again and nuzzled the crook of his neck.
"Listen," he said and Beth could tell by the tone of his voice that he was serious, "I want you to watch yourself. 'Least until we can figure out what Blake's got to do with this som' bitch we're chasin'. You fit the profile, and I ain't ashamed to say it scares the hell out 'a me."
Beth covered his hand with her own where it lay over his heart.
"Promise me, Beth."
"I promise."
A/N: Well that was a long one, but it was particularly fun to write! Would really appreciate knowing what you think!
