Just a quick thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I really appreciate hearing from you all. I think I'm going to get started on writing my sequel to Only One now that my summer has officially begun and I'm going to try and balance my time between these stories as equally as I can.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!


"You're like a candy store, and I'm a toddler,

You got me wantin' more and more."

- 'Your Love', Nicki Minaj


Daryl's eyes shot open suddenly and his breathing was ragged. He took in a few deeps breaths and ran one of his hands over his face, trying his best to ignore the aching feeling in his boxer shorts. He was hard - painfully so - and he was pretty sure that if he would have slept for a few minutes longer then he would have definitely blown his load without even realising it.

He cursed himself for behaving like a damned teenager and couldn't believe that he had actually almost had a wet dream, all over Beth Greene. Dreams of her had become more of a regular occurrence and he had even been getting used to them, but tonight was the first time that anything like this had happened.

Daryl could practically still feel the ghost of her on his lips, still taste her on his tongue, even though none of it had been real. He was so sure that he had felt her legs wrapped around his waist and he could remember how tight and wet she felt - even if it had been a dream. One of Daryl's hands involuntarily moved south towards the straining in his boxers and he couldn't think of anything other than her and how good it would feel to be inside of her and...

"Daryl?"

His eyes had fluttered shut but they were snapping open again almost instantly and he flung his upper body from where it was lay on the mattress. Daryl tore his hand away from where it had just been and re-adjusted his boxers quickly, squinting into the darkness to try and find the source of the noise.

Ella was stood in the doorway to his bedroom, wearing a night gown that fell to the middle of her calves and clutching a teddy in her hands that she had brought with her from home. Daryl didn't know who had bought it for her - had never asked - but just assumed that it had been Merle. He didn't say anything and tried to calm his erratic breathing as he sat waiting for her to say something more.

The little girl didn't, and Daryl resisted the urge to groan. It was so late and he was so tired, up in just a few hours to get Ella ready for school and to get himself to work. Daryl knew he had to say something, but he didn't have the slightest clue on where to start.

"'S the matter?" he grunted, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand.

Ella took him speaking as an invitation and padded her way across the room towards him, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her and clutching the teddy tightly to her chest. She stopped at the side of the bed and Daryl knew that she wanted to get in beside him but she wouldn't do it unless he told her that she could.

"C'mon," he mumbled, patting the empty space beside him for emphasis and even though it was dark, he was sure that he could see a faint smile spread across her face as she crawled in the bed beside him.

Ella lay her head on the pillow and snuggled into it for a moment, lying still and waiting as Daryl lay himself back down, too. His niece was lay on her side facing towards him whilst Daryl lay on his back staring up at the ceiling.

"Can't sleep?" Daryl asked, watching from the corner of his eye as she nodded her head quickly. "Bad dreams?" he pushed, and Ella nodded again. Daryl let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, throwing one of his arms over his face in a lazy attempt to cover it.

They lay in silence for quite a while, but Daryl could tell from the sound of her breathing that she was still wide awake, so he didn't try and get himself to sleep, either. He might not have been great at this whole nurturing shit, but he wasn't going to just leave his niece to stay awake on her own when she was having nightmares.

There had been a time when he used to have bad dreams as a child, too; and he remembered how nobody had ever been there for him. Remembered how his mama hadn't sang to him or held him close, even though it was all that he had wanted. Remembered how Merle had laughed the way that big brother's always did and remembered the way that his pa got angry, telling him that Dixon's don't have nightmares and that Dixon's don't cry about anything - especially not bad dreams.

Those times were long gone, and that was how he planned on keeping them. Daryl didn't want his niece going through what he'd had to go through as a child and knew that he would never put her in that position. He might not be able to sing to her and soothe her, but he'd still be there all the same in the best ways that he could.

"Daryl?"

Ella whispered his name into the darkness, uncertainty evident in her tone. Daryl removed his arm from where it had been covering his eyes and tilted his head towards her, grunting in recognition so that she knew that he was awake and had heard her.

The little girl was quiet for a few longer moments, the teddy now resting underneath her chin in her vice-like grip.

"When will daddy come home?"

Daryl wasn't sure how many times that she had asked him that question, and there had been so many times that he had dismissed her with 'soon' or 'one day', or 'eventually'. All blunt answers, but none of them really giving her much to cling on to. Daryl knew that Merle had been sentenced to eight years, but that it would probably be four if he behaved himself.

That was a big if.

But how could he tell her that? He couldn't. He didn't know how. Daryl wasn't even sure that she would understand him, wasn't even sure that she would be able to cope with knowing that her father would be gone for that long. Daryl still needed to take her to visit Merle, but he figured that right now, it was too soon. They were both getting used to their new lives and trying their best to settle in and Ella was adjusting to a life where Merle wasn't going to be there for an unknown length of time. The last thing that Daryl wanted to do was take her to see him before either of them were really ready and end up confusing and upsetting her even more than she already was.

"I dunno," he mumbled, answering Ella as honestly as he could.

She let out a shaky sigh at that and shuffled as she clutched the teddy impossibly tighter to her chest. Ella was quiet for a little while longer before she spoke again.

"I miss daddy," she said, her voice soft and quiet in the darkness.

Her tone near enough broke Daryl's heart, and he tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. Daryl wasn't sure that he would ever be able to forgive Merle, not for doing this to her and not for putting him in this position.

"Me too, kiddo," he said, sighing loudly. "Me too."


Seeing Beth was pretty damn awkward.

Daryl knew in himself that he was awkward enough around her as it was without making it worse by remembering some of the things that he had been dreaming of recently. And it wasn't just in his sleep, either - sometimes he'd get distracted at work, other times at home or when he was driving. Daryl hadn't been able to shake her for a while now and he was just about getting used to the idea of that without throwing this in the mix.

Now, all he could think of was the way he had pleasured himself to the thought of her lips wrapped around him. Daryl was surprised that he was even managing to look her in the eye.

"Daryl!" she exclaimed, and he cringed because he remembered the way that she said it in his fantasies - breathy and gasping and pleading.

But she actually looked like she was happy to see him there; grinning at him whilst he stood in the middle of the store in his work clothes, no sign of any six year old girl's around. He gave her a small smile back and nodded in acknowledgement, making his way slowly towards where she was cleaning the till area and looking around the store as though he was really all that interested in what new children's things they had in.

"How are you?" Beth asked, looking up at him whilst she wiped down the area.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly at her.

"Not bad," he said, finally meeting her gaze. "You?"

Beth seemed to appreciate him returning the question back to her if the grin on her face was anything to go by, and she picked up the rag and the polish that she had been using and placed it in a drawer underneath the cash register.

"I'm doin' okay," she said, smiling. "Got a lot of assignments due in these next few weeks, but I finish for the holidays soon."

Daryl nodded his head at that, not sure what to say to her. He was thankful that she didn't miss a beat in continuing the conversation, obviously aware of how much better she was at talking than him. It wasn't even like he minded because Daryl would happily listen to her chirp on with herself all day long if she wanted to. It was just that he knew that girls liked that emotional crap (they did, didn't they?) and thought that she would probably like him more if he at least tried to speak to her. Maybe if he made a bit of an effort with conversation, then she could even be interested in him.

As far as being honest with himself went, Daryl didn't want to be. Not about her. Of course he knew that the was interested in her and hell, he'd take her any way that she offered herself to him if she ever did; but he wasn't ready to actively admit to having any feelings towards her. Not yet. Not even to himself.

"How's Ella holdin' up? She behavin' for you?"

Daryl nodded his head at that as he pushed himself away from the till and headed in the direction of the girls things. Ella didn't actually need anything from Lori's and he had really come down here because he wanted to see her - even if he had told himself that it was because he wanted to treat his niece to something new since he had just been paid - but now that he was actually here in front of her, he realised that he needed to at least pretend that he didn't come down here just for her.

Making himself look like some sort of creepy stalker wasn't the plan.

"She's alrigh'," Daryl said simply.

There must have been something in his tone that gave it away to her because Beth frowned and looked at him expectantly. Daryl glanced at her after she had been staring at him for a few seconds and held eye contact with her for a long few seconds before he sighed in defeat.

Daryl ran a hand through his hair and shifted on his feet slightly, feeling more than just a little bit uncomfortable. He had never been one for sharing feeling's, but Daryl knew that Beth was genuinely interested in Ella's welfare and besides, she would only pester him to death about it if he didn't just come clean with her now. He hadn't known her for very long, but he did know that she was stubborn as hell - and that she was starting to read him better.

Gotta work on that poker face again.

"She's not been sleepin' too good," he said, watching as concern made it's way onto Beth's features.

She was so fucking pretty, even when her brows were creased and her lips were pouted and her jaw was locked. She was going to be the death of him and he knew it.

"Has she said what's wrong?" Beth asked.

Daryl knew that she wasn't just being nosey like some small town gossip. Beth actually cared. She honest to God gave a shit about his niece and how she was doing, maybe even how he was doing, too, and he wasn't used to that.

Shrugging his shoulders seemed like a go-to reaction around Beth and it made him feel less awkward around her; as though he was actually doing something, as though he was contributing to the conversation some way. So he shrugged again.

"Reckon she's missin' her daddy," he said, scratching at his stubble. He really needed a shave. "She's been askin' 'bout him. When he's comin' home an' what have you. Keeps wakin' me up in the night... she's stayed in bed wi' me these past few days."

Beth nodded her head at that and looked down towards the floor for a moment, clearly deep in thought as she played with the ends of her hair. Daryl liked it best when she wore it down in waves around her face and he wished that it was his own hands playing with it.

"You've not been getting much sleep then, huh?" Beth asked, her eyes flicking back up to his, and Daryl nodded his head before averting his gaze, suddenly finding the selection of hair accessories much more interesting.

The feel of her palm pressing against his bare bicep cause Daryl to jump ever so slightly, his head snapping back up to look her way once more. He wanted to be angry at her for invading his personal space; but he couldn't feel anything but calm as he looked right into her blue eyes, a soft and kind smile on her face.

"That must be hard for you," she said, and Daryl nodded slightly.

It was like she had him in a trance, under a spell. Daryl wasn't one to look for pity from people - never had been - and he never went out looking or asking for help, either. He may not have been as stubborn as her, but he was still stubborn nonetheless. So even the tiny nod of his head in agreement with her words was a big step for him.

Daryl couldn't remember the last time he confided in someone like this. Maybe he had never even bothered to. Not since Merle left.

"You know, I could always help you out," Beth said, and Daryl frowned.

"Don't need no charity, Beth," he said. Daryl tried to grumble, but found that his voice was softer than he had ever heard it before.

"It's not charity," she scolded. "I want to help."

Beth gently squeezed at his bicep as she spoke and he glanced down to where her hand was resting on him, his eyes slightly narrowed when they flickered back up to hers. There was a light blush on the tops of her cheeks and she looked as though she hadn't even realised she was touching him until he had acknowledged the presence of her hand on him.

Her hand gently fell back to her side at a slow pace and Daryl cursed himself for missing the contact. He was an idiot.

"Besides," she said, picking herself back up and smiling at him. "I love spending time with Ella. She's a pleasure. Maybe you could bring her round to the farm again sometime since she seemed to love the animals. Or I could even stop by sometime and..." she trailed off, her eyes unsure. Daryl cocked a brow at her expectantly. "If you wanted me to. Obviously."

He smirked at that - he just had to, and whilst Beth's shoulders had tensed in realisation of what she was saying, they relaxed now in what he assumed was relief. She probably didn't have a clue how he would react, but in all honesty, Daryl didn't mind.

There had been several occasions now when he wished that he wasn't leaving her at the farm or at the grocery store. Instead, he had wished that he was bringing her back home with him; wished that she was riding beside him in the passenger seat, wished that she was there whilst he got Ella to bed, wished that she was there when he flopped himself onto his mattress and tried to get some much needed sleep.

Maybe it would be nice to stop wishing and actually have her there. Maybe not in all of the ways that he wanted, but in some - and surely that would be enough. Hell, maybe it would even stop him thinking about her for a little while.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head at her. "S'long as you're sure y'don't mind," he said, and Beth shook her head at him.

"Of course I don't," she said. "I wouldn't offer if I did."

Daryl looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but then he relaxed as Beth began to chatter away about the new things that were in stock that he could look at. In all truthfulness, he was trying his hardest to pay attention, but he couldn't stop thinking about how she had just arranged to come over to his place sometime. Daryl wondered whether it was obvious that he was distracted and couldn't help but notice the way that she tucked her hair behind her ear or the way that her hips moved when she walked ahead of him or the way that she blinked up at him with those innocent blue eyes.

Maybe having her in his apartment wasn't going to be the best idea after all.

Maybe it was just going to make this desire to have her closer even worse.


Thanks for reading and please review!