A/N: Set when Rick is talking to Hershel and Andrea about Shane. (There were two young looking female walkers in that group that were killed by Shane, Andrea, T-dog and Daryl.)

2.12.1 The first time Daryl gave Beth a gift

Beth gripped onto the cuff of her denim jacket with her middle and index finger, dragging it down over the tell-tale sign of her moment of weakness.

Everyone had stopped giving her a hard time about it now; it was hard to think about her mistakes when they had just lost another person. Dale had been a kind and reasonable man, and he would have died an unjust long and painful death if Daryl hadn't have put him out of his misery.

It had been a terrible thing to happen, but something good had come from it. Beth's dad had finally agreed to let Rick and his group stay in the house. It was for the best as winter approached and the days started getting shorter and colder, and they couldn't risk them being out in the open anyway, not after what had happened to Dale.

Beth opened her arms and allowed Maggie to load her up with gear to take back to the house from Rick's camp, trying not to wince when the canvas strap rubbed against the tender skin of her wrist. She hefted the bag up on to her shoulder, balanced the deck chair under her free arm, and then trudged back towards her soon to be full family home.

She heard the rumble of Daryl's bike start up behind her, and then the sound echo against the timber boards of the home as the bike drew closer. It made her squirm a little with discomfort. Daryl had been so nasty to her the day before. Nasty and honest. She had been able to avoid him ever since, but now they were all going to be living so close, she knew they would be crossing paths more often.

She dropped the chair and bag on to the porch, handing over to Jimmy who was moving everything into the house as it was delivered.

The unexpected tap on her elbow made her startle, and she swung around to see Daryl's stern face looking down on her.

"Can I talk to you?" He grunted, his lips barely moving, and then took a step back urging her to follow.

Beth's eyes shifted back to Jimmy, who was eyeing Daryl cautiously. She had told him what he had said to her, and Jimmy hadn't been impressed. He said it wasn't his place to say anything to her. He wasn't her daddy, he wasn't her brother and he certainly wasn't her boyfriend.

Daryl's eyes shifted from her face to Jimmy's, "'s'okay Romeo, Just talkin'."

"Okay." Beth said cautiously, she turned to follow, but Jimmy gripped her tender wrist, causing her to jerk back. He drew her into him, bending and crooking his neck so he could reach her mouth from where he was standing on the porch.

His lips met hers and he gave her a rough, wet and awkward kiss. Beth swivelled away from him, uncomfortable and not sure why he was suddenly displaying affection so openly. He had never kissed her like that before. At least not where her dad and sister could see them.

She turned back to Daryl who was watching them, his face screwed up in disgust. Daryl nodded his head backward and Beth followed him around the side of the house, keeping her eyes to the dirt to avoid Jimmy's uncertain glare.

Once out of ear shot of the others, Daryl stopped suddenly causing Beth to walk straight into his back.

He jumped backwards, holding a hand out as of to catch her if she wold fall, or as if to keep her away from him, Beth wasn't sure.

He dug a hand into his pocket and then pulled out a clenched fist, and shoved it towards her. "Here." He grunted.

Beth held out her hand and Daryl pressed in something soft and grainy, and smooth and hard all at the same time.

She kept her hand clenched around it and looked up into his lowered blue eyes.

"What's this for?"

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. Beth could barely make out what he was saying.

"What for?"

"For what I said to y'. Yesterday. Last thing you needed was me bein' an asshole. Guess I was kinda pissed that you would just…leave like that."."

Beth lowered her eyes guiltily her sight drawn to her clenched hand. She opened her fist to see he had given her a thick leather black cuff bracelet with a chunky golden cross riveted on.

Daryl flicked a finger towards it. "You like that kinda crap right?"

She really did like it. Somehow Daryl knew exactly what her style was.

"It's beautiful where'd you get it?"

"Don't matter. Someone didn't need it no more, so it's yours now."

Beth didn't have to put too much thought in to it to figure out he had taken it from a walker. She could still smell the rot on it, but a gift was a gift, and she knew those were going to be few and far between for a long while yet, and even rarer to be received from Daryl.

She smiled up at him. "Assholes don't give gifts."

He jiggled his shoulders in a way that resembled a shrug. "I know what I am and what I ain't."

She smirked to herself as she rubbed her thumb over the smooth cold surface of the cross. "Thank you." She said gratefully.

"JC ain't on speaking terms with me, but I know he is with you. Thought it might remind y' to have faith and shit." He pointed to the swollen and puckered skin of her wrist, hidden by layers of bandage and denim. "You should wear it there. Til y' know y' don't need it no more."

Beth nodded her agreement. "Thinkin' I might give it a scrub first."

Daryl huffed with mild amusement. "Yeah, you prob'ly should."


A/N: The bracelet appears in season 3 and in season 2 her arms are covered at this point, I'm pretty sure Beth never mentions how she got it. I don't think its too OOC for Daryl to give gifts. He gave Carol the rose, and he got the jade for the woman from Woodbury.