Daryl leaned against the Greene sisters' truck in the parking lot at the Bell factory, his eyes trained on the employee entrance. It was a few minutes past 5:00, and soon, he would get to have Beth in his arms again. They had fallen asleep together under the stars the night before, and Beth had awoken that morning in a frenzy, afraid she would be late for work. They had driven to the factory at top speed, and she had made it with about a minute to spare. She had tossed the keys at him and instructed him to use the truck however he needed during the day, as long as he agreed to meet her here at 5:00 after her shift ended. He had been anxiously awaiting this moment, and the day had dragged by, just as it always did during her work hours each day when they were forced to be apart. His chest swelled with happiness as it had many times throughout the day whenever he thought of her, and he couldn't suppress the faint smile that had been on his face all day. He was happier than he had ever been in his entire life, and not even his fast-approaching deployment could dampen his mood. For the first time, the impossible had happened: Daryl Dixon was in love.

It was strange to think about, especially because just two days before, he had been questioning the extent of his feelings for Beth. But the moment she had admitted her feelings the night before, Daryl knew without a doubt in his mind that he shared her sentiments exactly. He had never been in love before, and until Beth had declared her love for him, he hadn't been sure how to interpret his feelings. They were exciting and terrifying at the same time, and it was a relief that he wasn't alone in the way he felt. She had awoken something in him that he hadn't thought existed until he had met her. It was as if she had unlocked some secret part of him that had been hidden away even from himself. Beth held the key to his heart, and despite the short amount of time they had known one another, Daryl knew that his heart would always belong to her.

The employee doors opened then, releasing a flood of factory workers. Daryl scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on Beth's familiar golden hair. She seemed to spot him at the same time, her face bursting into a smile, and she quickly excused herself from the company of her friends and sister to bound over to him. Before he could react, she threw her arms around his neck and jumped into his arms. Daryl released a surprised grunt and tightened his grip on her, holding her a few inches off the ground before pressing his lips to hers. He didn't even care about people potentially watching; everything around him seemed to fade away, and Beth was the only thing that mattered.

When they broke away from one another, Daryl was smiling so widely that his cheeks were beginning to ache. Beth's expression matched his, and he had to fight the urge to suddenly shout to all who could hear that he was completely in love with the woman in front of him. He cleared his throat in an attempt to bring himself back down to earth.

"How was work?" he asked, glancing around to see if anyone had been watching their display of affection.

"Long and dull," she replied, the smile still on her face. She still wore the dress she had worn the night before, and her hair had been tucked back into a snood to hide its lack of styling. She looked tired, but happy, and regardless of how disheveled she may have been, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

"Well, hopefully what I've got planned will be more exciting," Daryl said.

"And you still won't give me any hints?"

"Nope," he grinned. "You wanna stop home and change first?"

"Well, that depends on where we're going. If you'd give me a hint, then maybe I can better answer that question," Beth replied with a teasing smile. Daryl chuckled and shook his head.

"You don't gotta be dressed up or nothin'. And it probably won't take long anyway."

"All right," she said. "Let's go then. I can clean up later."

Daryl nodded. "We'll need to head back to your place after anyway. And no, I'm not telling you why."

Beth gave him an adorable pouty smile and made her way over to the passenger side of the truck. Daryl climbed in the driver's side and brought the old engine groaning to life. He pulled out of the parking lot and began the drive to their destination.

"I suppose work wasn't completely dull," Beth said. "Tara said she went to Eddie's after the dance hall last night—you know, the bar I sang at last week?"

How could Daryl forget? It was the first time he had ever laid eyes on Beth, and the memory was forever ingrained in his mind. He nodded, and she continued.

"Eddie told Tara to ask me if I can sing again this Friday! Apparently he had a cancellation, and since my performance last time wasn't half bad, he wanted to know if I'd be interested in performing again. I called him up on my lunch break and told him I'd love to. I can't wait to be able to perform again."

Daryl smiled earnestly. "That's great. You were real good last time. Can't wait to hear you sing again."

"So you'll come?"

"You kiddin' me, girl? Course I'll come. Loved watchin' you up there last time, and I imagine this time will be even better."

Beth beamed at him, and Daryl returned the gesture. He really was excited to see her sing again. Last time, her singing had captivated him completely, which had led to his spontaneous decision to defend her honor when she'd been harassed after her performance. It was a decision he would never regret making, as it had ended up bringing the two of them together.

"You gonna wear the same gown as last time?" Daryl asked, remembering how glamorous and seductive she had looked in the scarlet silk gown she'd worn at her last performance.

"Oh, shoot, I didn't even think about that," Beth muttered. "No, that gown belongs to Amy. It hardly fits me anyway. I had pins holding it in on the sides where it was too big. I guess I'll have to come up with something else. I don't have anything nearly that nice though."

Beth chewed her lip as she gazed out the window in thought, likely considering her other clothing options. Daryl's eyes quickly swept over her body as he remembered the way she had demurely revealed her bare leg on stage during her last performance. His and Beth's activities the night before combined with the memory caused his cock to twitch in his pants, and he cleared his throat and tried to focus on the road.

"So did your girlfriends say anything about you showin' up to work in last night's dress?" he asked, and Beth's cheeks immediately flushed upon hearing the question.

"Oh yeah," she admitted, giggling a bit. "And it didn't help that I was almost late. Everyone was dressed and ready to go for our shift when I came rushing in. It was nothing but catcalls and whistles until our floor matron walked in. And then Maggie and Amy never let me hear the end of it during our shift."

"Sorry," Daryl apologized, but he couldn't help smirking. Beth giggled and shrugged.

"It's okay. I don't mind. It's all in good fun. And even though it will get old hearing Maggie tell me I'm all grown up, it was worth it."

Daryl glanced at Beth and met her eyes, and the two of them shared a small smile. His stomach gave a joyful flutter and he had to remind himself to move his eyes back to the road.

It didn't take long to make the drive to Mableton, the neighboring suburb. Soon they were pulling into the driveway of Axel's house. Axel and Merle had been good friends for years, and Daryl had paid the man a visit the previous day while Beth had been at work. She looked to him with a puzzled expression.

"Where are we?"

"A buddy of mine lives here. But we ain't really here to see him. C'mon," Daryl said.

He and Beth climbed out of the truck and walked up to the front door of the modest house. Daryl knocked loudly, and a few moments later, Axel appeared behind the screen door sporting a friendly smile. He opened the door and the two men shook hands.

"Axel, I'd like you to meet Beth. Beth, this is Axel," Daryl introduced. Beth shook Axel's hand, her expression still showing her confusion.

"Lovely to meet you, Beth," he said, and the twinkle in his eye when he glanced at Daryl conveyed his surprise that Daryl had managed to land such a pretty woman. "Well, c'mon out back," Axel said, stepping outside and leading the way around the house to the back yard. Daryl and Beth followed Axel through the yard and to the shed at the back of the yard, where Axel opened the door and led them inside.

"All right, now you can see why I brought you here," Daryl said to Beth, taking her hand and leading her toward the back of the shed. The soft mewing sounds could be heard before the kittens came into view, and Beth's eyes widened in adoration as soon as she saw them.

Four small kittens, two black and two gray, were gathered around their mother, who gazed up at the approaching humans with disdainful eyes. Two of the kittens were sound asleep against her, while the other two were wrestling clumsily. Beth sank to her knees and reached out to them, and she giggled when one leapt at her outstretched hand.

"Yeah, Missy here went out and got herself pregnant. This here's her litter. They're about twelve weeks old. Just weaned. You can take your pick. They all gotta find homes soon, since I can't afford to feed 'em," Axel explained.

Beth looked up quickly, her eyes darting between Daryl and Axel.

"You mean . . . I get to keep one?"

"Hell, you can keep all of 'em if you want," Axel replied with a laugh.

"This is what you were talking to Maggie about?" Beth asked Daryl. He nodded.

"Yep. Had to make sure you weren't allergic or nothin', and that a kitten's somethin' you'd actually want."

"Of course I want one!" Beth exclaimed in a rush, and both men laughed. "We always had cats at the farm. I miss having them around."

"Well, you can have whichever one you want, 'cept Missy, of course," Axel said. "Take your time pickin' it out. It's gonna be with you a long while."

"Thank you," Beth said earnestly, her trademark smile now plain on her face. Axel nodded and returned the smile.

"I'm gonna head back in the house, but y'all just come on in when you've made your choice. Take your time. I got a pitcher of sweet tea in the refrigerator if you're thirsty."

"Thank you," Beth said again, and Axel flashed them both a smile before heading back outside toward the house. Beth turned to look up at Daryl, her eyes bright and her smile wide and genuine.

"You know, for your first time surprising a woman, you did pretty darn well," she stated.

"Good," Daryl replied. "I was afraid you weren't gonna like it."

"Daryl, I love it. Seriously. How did you come up with this idea?"

"I came and visited Axel yesterday while you were at work. He was complaining about the kittens needing to be fed now that they're weaned, and I thought a kitten suited you."

Beth grinned at him and nodded. She looked back to the litter of kittens and waggled her finger at the two that were playing, laughing as they chased after it. Daryl smiled to himself and sat down on the floor next to her. He watched her playing with the kittens, the other two now awakening from their snooze and joining in on the fun.

The real reason he had wanted to get her a kitten was so she would have something to remember him by when he was gone, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to admit that to Beth. They hadn't spoken of his deployment much, even though it was fast approaching. He didn't want to dampen the mood, but he knew it was a topic they needed to discuss. He cleared his throat, both out of awkwardness and to attempt to rid himself of the lump that had suddenly risen there.

"Beth," he started, his stomach tightening uncomfortably when she met his eyes and frowned upon seeing his serious expression. He cleared his throat again and held her gaze. "I know we ain't really talked about how I'm leavin' on Sunday. But even though we ain't talked about it, it's gonna happen, and soon. I wish I didn't have to go, but . . ." he trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess what I'm tryin' to say is, I wanted to get you somethin' to remember me by. And somethin' that can keep you company and make you smile. Since I won't be here to make you smile, it'll make me feel better knowin' there's somethin' else makin' you smile till I get back."

Beth scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, and he circled his arms around her small frame and held her close to his chest. She leaned her head against his shoulder, her face pressed close to his neck, and both of them held each other tightly for several long moments.

"I love you so much, Daryl Dixon," Beth said softly. "And I'll be waiting for you when you get back. Me and the cat."

Daryl laughed and shook off the sadness that had filled him at the thought of being away from the woman he loved for so long. He pulled away and smiled down at her.

"Well, let's pick out your new companion. We don't gotta talk about this depressing shit now."

"Yeah. We can talk about it later. For now, let's just pretend that our time together doesn't have an expiration date."

Daryl nodded and forced a smile, wishing that pretending such a thing was as easy as Beth made it sound. He directed his attention back to the kittens in front of them and tried to immerse himself in the moment to stifle the pain in his chest that made itself known every time he thought about the distance that was soon to be between them.

"I think I like this gray one best," Beth said, motioning to the smallest kitten of the group. "She looks like the runt of the litter. If her mama is anything like the mama cats at our farm, she probably hasn't gotten as much attention as her siblings. I like the idea of giving her all the love and attention she may have been missing."

Daryl smiled softly at Beth and nodded. Her choice seemed so true to who Beth was: a loving, caring, warm person who believed everyone was equally deserving of love. He couldn't help but compare himself to the neglected kitten; despite all the love and attention his life had been missing, Beth had somehow found him worthy of her affection, and for that, he was forever grateful.

"She seems like a great choice," he agreed, reaching out to pet the small kitten. "Got a name in mind?"

Beth hummed in thought, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she considered the question for several moments. Her eyes brightened suddenly and she grinned.

"How about Dixie?" she suggested.

"Dixie?"

"Yeah! It's like a play on 'Dixon,' and she's a southern gal through and through. I think it's a perfect fit."

"Okay," he nodded, grinning. "Dixie it is. You ready to take Miss Dixie home?"

"Yes," Beth said happily.

She reached out and scooped up the newly-named Dixie and snuggled her close. Daryl smiled at the sight. Dixie was a very lucky kitten to have found a home with Beth. For as long as he could remember, Daryl had never regarded the concept of "home" in a positive light. It was part of the reason enlisting had been so easy; it hadn't felt like he was leaving anything worthwhile behind. But now, "home" meant a life with Beth, and for the first time, "home" was something Daryl wanted to fight for. Even though his future was daunting and uncertain, Daryl knew that he would fight with everything he had to return to Beth. It didn't matter what it took; Daryl was going to come home.


Thank you so much for reading! Please review! :)