Thank you all so much for your feedback on the last chapter and this story as a whole. I really love the Bethyl fandom.

Enjoy!


Beth couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she walked up the steps to the farmhouse where her father was stood waiting for her on the porch. He was smiling, too, and Beth wasn't sure she had ever seen him look so proud.

"Congratulations, Bethy," Hershel said as he pulled her in for a hug.

She had done it - she had graduated.

Her ceremony wasn't for a few more weeks yet, but it was official; she had finished her degree and she was going to be a nurse. Just a few days before, Carol had even offered her a full-time job at the hospital and Beth had been so surprised and genuinely relieved to know that she would be working soon that she almost cried. Almost.

When Carol realised how shocked she was, she had furrowed her brows and shook her head and told the younger girl that for someone so smart, she sure was stupid because she should have known she would be keeping the job.

"After all, you're a student and you're better than some of the full time nurses we have here. How could I not employ you, Miss Greene?"

She was astonished that Carol was being so nice to her - the woman was quite stern with the students and whilst she was always polite, she was never overly friendly, either. Beth wasn't sure that she had ever complimented her before and then she was saying this to her like she was just supposed to know that Carol thought she was a half decent nurse. But Beth wasn't a mind reader and Carol didn't give much away, so how was she to know?

She had dared to imagine that she might get offered a job working at the hospital and she had constantly worked hard to leave a good impression on everyone she worked with - patients and professionals alike. But she had never considered the fact that it might actually happen and when it did, she had absolutely no idea how to react. Beth had been so happy and excited that she squealed and shocked them both by jumping up from her seat and hugging Carol with all her might.

Carol hadn't returned the hug at first - a little shocked at Beth's behaviour - but then she had patted her back and told her that she should be proud of herself and that she deserved it. And Beth thanked her for the opportunity and swore that she wouldn't regret it.

After her father released her from his grip, Beth walked into the farm house and was greeted almost instantly with another hug - this time from her mother. Beth laughed as Annette started gushing at her that she couldn't believe it - her youngest daughter was all grown up and independent now.

Beth just laughed as her mama released her from her firm grip and she reminded Annette that she had been living on her own for what felt like forever now. The older woman gave her a look and brushed off what Beth had said and told her that it was different because she was working now and actually earning a wage that she could live off on her own without the help of her parents.

Maggie was the next one to congratulate her, kissing her little sister on the cheek and telling her that she was so proud and now she felt old because Beth couldn't be a baby anymore if she was working. Shawn however seemed to disagree entirely and proceeded to call her 'squirt' (he knew she hated that term) and his way of congratulating her was by telling her that he was expecting discounted health care from now on.

Annette cooked dinner to celebrate. Beth insisted that her mother didn't have to go to all of the effort that she did, but Annette simply shook her head and told her daughter that this was one of the proudest days of her life and why on earth would she not go above and beyond when it came to celebrating such a special day?

After everyone had eaten, her daddy led the way into the lounge, but Maggie and Beth stayed behind in the kitchen where they volunteered to do the washing up.

"How's things with Glenn?" Beth asked as she soaked the first plate in hot water.

Maggie shrugged, waiting with a tea towel in her hands to dry off the dishes with. This was a routine that they had had for years - one of them (usually Beth) washed up whilst the other dried.

"Same as yesterday," Maggie told her with a smile.

"Has he heard back from Rick yet?"

Glenn had always worked at his parents pizza place but the money wasn't great and he and Maggie were talking about saving up for their own house, so Glenn had decided (with Maggie's influence) to try and find a better paid job.

When he first mentioned it to her, he told her that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do because he had always thought that he would just take over the family business. Beth remembered how Glenn and Tara were such good friends and then she got thinking about the fact that maybe Glenn could try and get on the police force with her.

At first, both Maggie and Glenn had laughed at the suggestion. Glenn wasn't exactly fighting fit - before Maggie, he had lived on his parents take away pizza - and he preferred playing video games to going to the gym. But Beth knew that Glenn's grades had always been high and that what he lacked in physical strength was made up for in his mental capabilities and that with a bit of training and healthy eating, he'd probably make a really good officer.

So one evening Beth had been babysitting Judith, she took the opportunity to mention to Rick that her sister's boyfriend was interested in becoming a police officer and how would he go about doing that and what would he need to get an interview? She had already memorised most of Glenn's grades and casually dropped them to Rick who had been more than interested in meeting him and arranged an interview with him a few days later.

Glenn had been appreciative of Beth's help and was currently waiting to hear back on the results of that interview.

"Not yet," Maggie said. "But he did tell him that it would probably be sometime next week."

Beth nodded her head at that and passed a dish to Maggie to dry.

"How are things with you and Dixon?" Maggie said.

Beth's blue eyes widened and she shushed her sister, looking around to make sure that none of the other members of her family were within hearing distance of their conversation.

It wasn't that Beth was embarrassed or ashamed. Her daddy had always been protective and her mother was sweet and nice to everyone. She knew that none of them would judge her - even if they had heard stories about Daryl from around town - but she wasn't sure that she was exactly ready to tell them about him yet.

After all, they weren't exactly serious. In fact, they weren't exactly anything. Sure, she had slept with him, but since that night they had only shared a few texts and a couple of phone calls, but it was nothing serious. Beth had wanted nothing more than to see him again and she had been pleasantly surprised to receive a text from him asking when she was free and if she wanted to go out sometime. But she had been busy with her exams and had told him that whilst she would love to go out, it would have to wait until she graduated.

Daryl had messaged her earlier on that day to briefly congratulate her on graduating. His text had read 'Congratulations, Beth' - short, sweet and simple, but it had made her happier than anyone else's grand words of support.

She had quickly learned that Daryl was straight to the point and she didn't mind that - respected it, even. Beth had replied to his message with a 'thank you' and had informed him that she was now free for him to take out whenever he pleased.

She was still waiting for his reply.

"Be quiet," Beth hissed. "You know I don't wanna tell anyone."

Maggie rolled her eyes.

"You shouldn't keep secrets from family."

"Doesn't sneaking off out of your window every night of your senior year to meet up with your boyfriends count as keeping secrets?"

Maggie narrowed her eyes at that, but didn't say anything.

"Besides, I'm not necessarily keeping a secret. I just don't want anyone gettin' all excited about somethin' when there's nothin' to be excited about."

Maggie gave her sister a look that said she knew better and Beth huffed.

"You ain't foolin' anyone, Bethy," Maggie said. "I'm pretty sure daddy and mama can see right through ya."

Beth passed her sister another dish to dry and tried her hardest not to think anything of it. Was she really being that obvious? She had always found it difficult to keep things from her family. Her mama especially always seemed to know if something was going on with one of her children, but her daddy was pretty good at guessing things like that, too.

Beth wondered if they knew that she was hiding something from them.

The trouble with living in such a small town was that word got around, and word got around fast. A part of her wouldn't be surprised if one of her mama's nosy friends from church had heard about who little Beth Greene had left the bar with and had gone on to tell her mother that she had been seen going home with none other than Daryl Dixon.

Beth was no angel, but that didn't mean that she wanted her mama and daddy knowing that. She was more than happy with them thinking that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"So," Maggie pressed. "How are things?"

"Not too interesting," Beth sighed as she soaked the last plate. "He text me this morning to say congratulations."

"He remembered?" Maggie asked, sounding a little surprised.

Beth nodded her head yes. She didn't want to admit that she had been a little shocked that he had remembered, either. After all, she had only mentioned it in passing; she didn't expect him to remember things like that about her.

But he did, and surely that had to count for something.

Maggie hadn't liked the idea of Daryl at first. She had warned her sister that Daryl was trouble with a capital T and that she needed to stay away from him - and she had meant it, too. Beth recalled how furious she had been with Maggie for being so ignorant and over-protective of her and she had decided not to mention that she had seen him again in the hospital.

Beth didn't think that it mattered and would have probably told her sister about bumping into him had she not found out from Carol that the reason Merle was left without one of his hands was because he had cut if off himself whilst he was escaping from the police who had arrested him for possessing Class B drugs with the intent to sell them.

At the bar, Beth had been honest with her intentions of sharing a taxi home with Daryl to Maggie. She had expected her sister to put up more of a fight about it - especially considering how drunk she was and the fact that she more often that not loved to cause a scene - but then again, she had been so caught up in Glenn that she didn't really have time to worry about what her sister was up to. Beth remembered how Maggie had tried her best to shoot Daryl an intimidating look but in the end she gave in and didn't put up much of a fight, only choosing to advise Beth to 'be careful with that one'.

Maggie had been a little judgmental about her sister's antics and Beth had tried her hardest to keep most of what happened between them private, but Maggie was such a nag about it and constantly wanted details. Beth couldn't wrap her head around it - she wanted nothing more in the world for Maggie not to tell her the ins and outs of her sex life, but Maggie always insisted on doing it anyway and insisted that Beth told her the ins and outs of hers, too.

Beth just blushed and kept the details to a minimum and let her sister's mind fill in the nooks and crannies of it all. At the end of the day, Maggie really didn't need to know how good of a kisser Daryl was or how long he lasted or how big he was. Even if she thought that she did.

Her sister had made it clear that she was sure this was a one night thing that they had shared (Beth didn't tell her that they went again in the morning and that that fact alone kind of made it not a one night arrangement) and that Beth shouldn't get her hopes up, even if they had exchanged numbers, because Daryl was Daryl Dixon and he would probably pick another girl up next weekend and forget about pretty Beth Greene, the farmer's daughter and trainee nurse who shacked up with him one night at her apartment.

Maggie's words had stung and Beth was quick to admit that the probably bothered her more than they should have, but she was so happy when he got in touch with her and she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit smug that things were working in her favor and that her sister had been wrong about him.

"I told him I'm free to see him whenever now," Beth said, feeling a little foolish as she told her sister. "But he's not texted back. Do you think I sound too... keen?"

Maggie looked thoughtful as she rinsed off the last dish and didn't say anything as Beth pulled the plug out of the sink, letting the water drain.

"No," Maggie finally said. "No, because he told you to let him know when you were free. It's not like you just threw it out there at him. He's probably busy working." Beth nodded her head at that. "What did you say he does again?"

"Daryl's a mechanic," Beth said.

"So he's busy working with his hands. He can't exactly keep texting you all day."

Beth supposed she agreed with her sister and sighed as she took the towel from her so that she could dry off her hands.

"You're right," Beth said. "I'm just getting ahead of myself now."

"I know," Maggie told her, leading the way into the lounge where the rest of the family were gathered. "Just chill out. It'll happen when it happens."


Beth was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing underneath her pillow. She rubbed her eyes and struggled to grab it, answering it quickly before it could cut off and not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" she mumbled groggily, her voice thick with sleep.

"Hey."

Beth jumped awake at the sound of Daryl's voice. She pulled her phone away from her ear to check that it was definitely him who was calling because she was still half asleep and it was definitely a possibility that it was Maggie or Rosita calling and she was imagining it to be his voice.

But then she saw his name on the screen and she couldn't help but smile. She had fallen asleep almost as soon as she got home from the farmhouse, partly because she was exhausted from all of the hard work she had been doing recently and also because of the fact that she was absolutely stuffed from her mother's wonderful cooking. Beth wasn't sure what time it was, but she knew that Daryl wouldn't call her too late because he had work early almost every day himself.

"Did I wake you?"

Daryl was chuckling and Beth couldn't help but smile at the sound.

"No..." she began, before laughing a little sheepishly. "Yes. I mean, yes, you did wake me. But it's alright."

"It's only quarter to ten..." he mumbled, sounding a little unsure. "Sorry. I thought you'd be awake. I'll let you -"

"No," she cut him off quickly, knowing already what he was about to say. "No, please don't. It's fine, honestly. If I go back to sleep now then I'll only end up waking up at a stupid time in the middle of the night."

"Alright," he said.

"So," Beth began. "Any reason you called?"

She could practically hear Daryl shrugging his shoulders on the other end of the line.

"Jus'... I was gonna see when you wanted to do somethin', that's all."

"Really?" Beth said.

He chuckled at that.

"Don't sound so surprised," he told her.

"I'm not surprised," she said, exaggerating the last word. "I'm just... I don't know. Don't ask."

"Alright," he said, sounding a little unsure now.

He thinks I'm crazy.

"Well, erm... Now that I think about it, I start work next Monday. Technically my work week starts on a Sunday, but I'm somehow managing to get weekends off as part of my contract."

"That's a pretty good deal," Daryl said. "I get weekends off, too."

"So maybe... this Saturday?" Beth hoped she didn't sound too hopeful.

Daryl didn't say anything for a few seconds and Beth was sure that her heart was going to break out of her chest it was pounding that hard.

Maybe she was being too forward, making plans too soon and maybe he wanted to leave it a bit longer and -

"Sounds good."

Beth breathed a little easier at that.

"OK, Daryl," she said. "I guess I'll see you Saturday. What do you want to do?"

He was quiet on the other end of the line again and Beth was curious as she waited for his response.

"How 'bout you leave it with me," he told her. "An' I'll let you know sometime this week."

"OK," she agreed.

"Well," Daryl said. "Better get goin'. I've got work first thing. I'll speak to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah," Beth said, smiling a little. "I'll see you soon. Goodnight, Daryl."

"G'night, Beth."


I'm not a big fan of writing phone conversations because of just how much dialogue is involved but I hope I managed to pull this off and it didn't seem like too much speaking in the second part of this chapter.

I think I've decided against the unplanned pregnancy idea for now. I've had a lot of people encouraging me to go down that route and a few readers who think the idea is a little overdone and I kind of agree on that. As well, it wasn't where I originally saw myself going with this story so I'm not going to go through with it for now and I'm going to stick to exploring Beth and Daryl's relationship without throwing a spanner into the works so soon.

A few readers have also expressed an interest in perhaps having a planned pregnancy later on - is this something more of you would be interested in? It seems a lot of people like the idea of a Bethyl baby and I can't say I don't know why. That would have been amazing.

I also just wanted to say that if you have any suggestions/requests about possible routes that this story could take then let me know. I've said before that I don't have a structured, set-in-stone plan for this story because I wanted to be pretty flexible with it and just write whatever comes to me at the time. So if anyone has any ideas please feel free to let me know.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know your thoughts!