Who is this posting after a billion years? It's me! I'm really sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, this has by far been my most difficult chapter to write. It clocked in at 32 pages in Word, so it's a little lengthy, but there was a lot to get through to set it up for the next chapter. I hope you all like it!


Daryl was considering murder when he got a call at seven o'clock on a Saturday morning from Tobin, telling him they needed to go to their most recent project. The clients had insisted on a walkthrough and apparently didn't like how narrow the kitchen was, even though they had approved it on the blueprints Daryl had drawn up, and wanted the crew to widen it. If they wanted to keep on schedule, something they took pride in, they would have to fix it today or else they would be behind.

He quickly called Rick, knowing Carol was always busy at her shop on Saturday and wouldn't be able to take Ann-Marie to her piano lesson or soccer practice. Daryl dressed and put a half-awake Ann-Marie in the car and drove her to Rick's house, dropping her off along with Beau and Athena, their new puppy, at Rick's insistence, so he wouldn't have to watch all of them at the site.

"This is why we should ban clients from the job site until it's done." Daryl growled, throwing another 2x4 into the trash pile. "They think they know what they're doing and they set us back because we have to fix the shit they screw up."

"You just like complaining. Try being more positive for a change. It's not that hard to widen the kitchen." Tobin told him.

"It is when we already put the wiring in."

"Stop bitching, Dixon. It'll only take us a few hours to set the frame again, then we'll just call the electrician to come back out." Oscar shrugged.

Daryl shook his head, continuing to work on tearing down the wall frame and salvaging the pieces he could. He didn't want to admit it, but he was more upset that he wouldn't see Beth today. He knew she was trying to ask him out last night, and it was one of the only times he was glad they had been interrupted. He wouldn't let her do it before him. He was planning on doing it when he went over for Ann-Marie's lesson. There was a restaurant Rick had mentioned taking Lori to at poker night last Thursday, and it sounded nice enough that Beth might like it. Maybe I could drop by tomorrow to fix that crooked-ass railing job she did. I can ask her then.

After several hours, they were finally done at the site, all the new framework put in to get ready for the HVAC, insulation, and drywall on Monday. He went back to Rick's to pick up Ann-Marie and ended up staying for dinner at Lori's request, or demand. When they got done at the Grimes', Daryl let Ann-Marie stay up with him once they got home as he worked on Shane's hooptie that he called a 'hot rod', even though it barely ran.

"Shane should just scrap this car." Daryl told Ann-Marie. "It'll never run."

"But then he can't pick up the ladies." Ann-Marie joked.

Daryl looked at her for a moment and shook his head. "God, Shane needs to stop watching you." He muttered.

They were quiet for a while as Ann-Marie played with Athena and tried very basic training from a book she had picked up at the library. Daryl glanced over every once in a while to make sure she hadn't wandered off.

"Daddy?" Ann-Marie said suddenly, walking over to where he was working.

"Mm."

"Why don't I have a mommy?"

Daryl hit his head on the car's hood as he stood up, biting back a curse word in front of his daughter and rubbing the back of his head as he looked at her. She watched him with wide eyes, waiting for her answer as bile rose in Daryl's throat. Damn, don't have an answer for her. Thought I would have more time before she asked. Shit.

"Why do you ask that, sugar bean?"

Ann-Marie shrugged, handing him the wrench she was holding before standing on her tiptoes to look at the engine. "Miss Karen is having us make a project where we draw our family trees. Our daddy's family goes on one side and our mommy's family goes on the other. But she told me I only had to do yours because I only have a daddy." She paused. "Where did she go?"

Daryl sighed, closing the hood of the car. "I don't know, sweetheart. Come on, let's get inside." He moved all of them into the house and directed Ann-Marie to the bathroom so she could get a bath and hoped she would quickly drop the subject.

"Is she still alive?" No luck.

"I think so."

"Do you think she remembers me?" She continued while Daryl plugged the tub and turned on the water.

Daryl's heart clenched at the sad look on his daughter's face, followed by an anger that always came up when he thought of Emily. He wasn't mad that she had left him Ann-Marie, she was the best thing to ever happen to him. He was mad that even after all these years, he hadn't heard one word from her, not even a single letter asking how her daughter was doing. How he didn't have anything to tell his daughter about her mother, unless he wanted to tell her that she was the result of a drunken one-night stand, and how Daryl didn't even know she existed until Emily dropped her off at his apartment three months after she was born.

"Come here." He said softly, sitting on the toilet and pulling her up to sit on his knee. "She'd be an idiot not to remember you. But you don't need to worry about her. We've got our own little family, and one thing I know is that she's missing out. Who wouldn't want to be woken up by you at three in the morning 'cause you didn't listen to me when I told you Cool Hand Luke was too scary for you."

Ann-Marie giggled when Daryl tickled her belly, smiling when he finally saw her smile. "Let's get you a bath. You stink."

"I do not!"


"Your dress is just so beautiful, Beth, you can hardly tell that it was handmade." Mrs. Marmillion crooned outside of Church on Sunday. Most of the congregation was milling around the yard in front of the church, chatting and catching up on the week's events. Beth was Mrs. Marmillion's victim this week, backed against the church wall as she talked Beth's ear off, complete with her signature backhanded compliments. She kept looking over to her mother to rescue her, but it seemed Annette was too focused on her conversation with the pastor to notice, or was purposefully trying not to notice so she wouldn't get saddled with Paula Marmillion and commit murder in the church yard.

"Well, thank you. I worked really hard on it." Beth pasted on a fake smile. "If you want, I can make you a more sophisticated skirt suit for church, but I would hate for it to look too 'handmade'." Beth was able to escape as Mrs. Marmillion was reeling from Beth's retort, saying goodbye to her family and heading back home, ignoring the new noise her car was making which joined the other cacophony of sounds coming from her engine. If I ignore it, it's not really happening.

Her strategy failed when as soon as she got into her driveway, her car spluttered and coughed one last time before a loud hiss, followed by a puff of steam streaming from under the hood.

"Oh no no no, please don't." Beth begged, trying to turn on the engine again. There was a shuddering noise but it didn't turn over. "Please not now. I have bills to pay, please hold on." The car gave no response to Beth's continued attempts to restart it.

"Shit. Shit shit shit." She whispered, immediately calling Rosita as she walked up her front steps, opening the door just enough to slip inside, smiling when Riley ran up, circling her legs to beg for pets while Beth collapsed on the couch. Beth had convinced her dad to bring Riley home Friday night, knowing being near someone might help him acclimate more to a new environment instead of being cooped up in a kennel at the clinic. She had to feed him by hand to get him to eat that night, but he had already significantly improved in just two nights. You could see his ribs less, and he always stayed by Beth's side whenever she was home and the one time they went on a walk, even when Beth accidentally dropped the leash when one of her students came running at her for a hug. Beth guessed he had been around children before because he didn't shy away when Henry Shaw ran up to her. He really was a sweetheart.

"Please explain why you're waking me up so early on a Sunday." Rosita grumbled when she answered the phone.

"It's three o'clock. Are you seriously still asleep?" Beth frowned, even though Rosita couldn't see her.

"I was up late last night talking to Abe. And by late, I mean—

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I don't need any more explanation." Beth interrupted while Rosita laughed. "My car is dead. Could you come over and see if you can fix it?"

"Have breakfast ready for me, and I'll be right over."

"You mean lunch?"

"Fuck you."

Beth was ready with a bagel and a cup of coffee on the porch when Rosita pulled up ten minutes later, toolbox in tow.

"God, your coffee really is awful." Rosita grimaced after taking a sip. "It tastes like burnt motor oil."

"Keep criticizing my coffee and you won't get your actual food." Beth warned.

"Wait, are those your homemade ones? I'm sorry, please forgive me. Gimme gimme gimme." Rosita snatched the bagel from Beth's hand, shoving it in her mouth as she walked over to Beth's car. "Let's see what's going on."

Beth stayed quiet while Rosita worked, muttering under her breath about certain things, checking different parts of the engine. "Well?" Beth asked when Rosita pulled back.

"You were right. Your car's dead." Rosita concluded.

"Can you fix it?"

"I don't know, Beth." Rosita sighed, wiping her hands on the rag Beth handed her. "With all these repairs, it's going to still be a lot, even with discounts if we take it to the garage. I would do it for free, but my dad's on my ass for not making Lori Grimes pay for labor a few weeks ago."

"What should I do?" Beth questioned. She couldn't be without a car. She had to drive to the next town over for the private lessons she taught, and she didn't have the money to get a new one.

Rosita walked over to where she had dropped her bag on Beth's porch and scribbled something on a spare piece of paper before walking back to Beth, handing it to her. Beth looked down and saw Rosita had written a telephone number on it. "Call Daryl. He's good with engines, and he'll be able to get your car back up and running for basically nothing. Just needs you to pay for parts."

"I'm not taking advantage of him like that." Beth protested, trying to hand Rosita the number back. She felt her cheeks growing hot at the mention of Daryl. She wasn't afraid to admit she had been a little disappointed when Ann-Marie showed up with Rick instead of Daryl, Rick explaining that Daryl had a work emergency and couldn't make it. Even though she hadn't been able to get the courage to ask him on a date the night before, she had hoped she would be able to talk to him at least. Maybe try to figure out if her 'sign' last night was just her nerves telling her not to or if it really wasn't meant to be.

"He likes doing it, Beth. My dad takes him the junkers he finds at yards all the time and pays him to fix them up. It's a hobby for him." Rosita said, crossing her arms.

Beth frowned and looked down at the number again. She didn't need it, she already had his number in her phone, but she didn't want to get any more grief from Rosita by telling her that. "You say he'll make me pay for parts?"

"More than likely. If not, you can probably find a way to convince him." Rosita smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Beth demanded.

"Everyone knows you two are sweet on each other. It's just taking a long time for you two to figure it out."

"We are not sweet on each other." Beth argued, though she could feel her cheeks blushing.

"Alright. Then call Daryl Dixon about your car and then tell me what he says." Rosita challenged. "I'll jerry-rig your engine to make it as far as Daryl's place."

Beth rolled her eyes and dialed the number in her cell, taking a deep breath before pressing the call button. She waited several moments, listening to the ringing until she heard someone pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Ann-Marie answered. It must be their home phone.

"Hi, Ann-Marie. It's Miss Beth. Is your daddy there?"

"He's outside. I'll get him." Beth heard her set the phone down before she distantly yelled for Daryl.

Beth waited until she heard someone else pick up the phone, her stomach jumping into her throat when she heard Daryl's gruff voice.

"Hello?" He asked.

Beth swallowed thickly to try to clear her airway. "Hey, Daryl. It's Beth. I was wondering if I could ask you a favor. My car completely gave out on me, and Rostia says you're good with engines. I'll pay for all the parts and for the labor. It's alright if you—

"Sure." He interrupted. "You know what's wrong with it?"

"What's not wrong with your engine." Rosita grumbled, holding her hand out for the phone. Beth handed it to willingly, out of her element.

"Timing belt, corroded battery cables and spark plugs on their last legs." Rosita waited for a moment. "Yeah, she's just put it off forever, and it's old as shit." Rosita stuck the phone back out for Beth.

"You enjoy abusing your car?" Daryl asked her once she raised the phone to her ear.

"I don't abuse it, I just didn't have enough money to pay the gougers they pass off as mechanics in Atlanta." She frowned.

"Bring it on over and I'll fix it by tonight."

"Thank you so much, Daryl. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this." She smiled.

He mumbled something unintelligible that sounded along the lines of 'No problem' before hanging up.

"Well, I got it patched up enough to make it over to your boyfriend's house." Rosita said, slamming the hood of Beth's car shut.

"He's not my boyfriend." Beth protested again, but to no avail. The smirk on Rosita's face told Beth she didn't believe her.

"Sure he's not. Let me know how your date goes tonight." Rosita said, handing the keys back to Beth. "Don't take it over thirty, or else I'll be towing you to Daryl's." She warned.

Beth nodded and got Riley from the house before climbing back in her car, taking care not to drive her crippled car over thirty miles per hour until she was safely on the Dixon's gravel driveway. Daryl appeared on the front porch, making Beth's heart beat faster and her stomach drop. He was wearing his regular outfit of jeans and a t-shirt, but for some reason, the way his shirt clung to his torso and brought attention to how muscular he actually was caused Beth to blush. Thankfully, she was far enough away where he probably wouldn't notice. He motioned for her to drive around back, where she parked beneath a carport connected to the back of the house. When she stopped, Beau was immediately at her door, sniffing at her shoes and pushing his head into her hands once she had climbed out.

"Beau, back off." Daryl ordered, walking up to Beth. "Sorry 'bout him." He told her, patting the dog on his side when he started circling his legs.

"He's fine. Is this where you wanted me to park?" She asked, gesturing behind her.

He nodded, not saying another word as he walked up to her, standing close enough that Beth thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest. "You mind?" He rasped, gesturing behind her to her car.

"Oh, yeah." She said stupidly, moving out of his way. He opened the driver's door and bent over to push the button to pop the hood. Beth felt a flush come to her cheeks again as he reached down, allowing her a clear view of his backside. She looked up quickly until he moved around to the front of the car to look at the engine. She let Riley out of the back and he immediately went off across the yard to romp with Beau.

"So, how's the puppy doing?" She asked, breaking the silence between them.

"She's good. Eatin' us out of house and home, but Ann-Marie's in love with her." He said, smiling faintly at the mention of his daughter. Beth wasn't sure if he knew he was doing it.

"She told me her name was Athena. Where did she get that? I doubt Karen is going over Greek mythology in their class right now."

"She got her hands on a book about Greek myths in the library a few weeks ago." Daryl answered "Pro'ly read it 'bout five times by now. Be warned."

Beth laughed and looked around. "Where is she?"

"She's taking a nap right now. Wanted to wait 'til you got here, but we just got back from a hunting trip and she was beat. I made her go to bed." Daryl explained, nodding to a chair to his right when he noticed she was still standing. "You can sit down, if you want."

"Thanks." Beth said, taking his offer and sinking into the lawn chair. Beau walked over to her and placed his head on her knee, making a content noise when she started rubbing his ears while Riley laid down under her chair. "Catch anything?"

"Just a few rabbits. We usually go out on Sundays for a few hours. Still trying to teach Ann-Marie how to track." He responded, not looking up from her engine as he gestured towards the house. "You want anything, help yourself. I got stuff in the fridge inside if you're thirsty."

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, as Beth could tell he was trying to concentrate on her car. It allowed her to study him without him noticing. His face was even more serious when he was concentrating, if that were possible. He furrowed his brow while he worked and bit his lower lip slightly when he came across something particularly difficult. She wondered if he knew he did it, or if it was just something he did subconsciously. The way the muscles in his arms moved beneath his skin while he was working, taut like a bowstring and moving fluidly, was fascinating. Beth recalled Maggie telling her a few months ago that he had taken his brother to the ground in Axel's bar. It made Beth wonder just how strong Daryl really was.

"I'm going to go inside and get something to drink. Do you want anything?" Beth asked, needing to get some fresh air, away from Daryl to clear the train of thought her mind was going down and hopefully cool down. She felt uncomfortably hot, and it wasn't from the Georgia heat.

He looked at her and nodded. "Can you grab me a beer?"

She nodded and practically tripped into the house, making her way to the fridge and standing in front of it for several seconds with the door opened, trying to cool down.

"What are you doing, Beth?" She questioned herself quietly, shaking her head. No man she had ever been with had caused a reaction like Daryl had. She swore up and down both to herself and to everyone she knew that she and Daryl were just friends. She was his daughter's teacher, and they had just happened to form a friendship, or what she thought was one, because he was over at her house a lot for Ann-Marie's piano lessons and talking in her classroom. There was nothing more than that.

Beth sighed. Hopefully her brain would finally convince the rest of her body that she didn't, or shouldn't, have feelings for him, but even now she was beginning to doubt her logic.

She grabbed Daryl a beer and herself a can of soda before going back outside, the cold drinks immediately beginning to sweat in her hands once she stepped back into the Georgia heat. She handed Daryl his beer silently before sitting back in the chair she had vacated, watching him.

"Thanks." He grunted, popping the top off easily before taking a long draw. "Got your spark plugs replaced, rest of it shouldn't take too long."

"Thank you." She told him. "I really appreciate you doing this. How much will I owe you?"

Daryl shook his head. "Don't worry 'bout it."

"I'm not going to take advantage of you, Daryl. How much?" She pressed.

"I ain't takin' your money." He said firmly, fixing her with his intense stare. "I pulled the parts from a car Espinosa gave me that he found and couldn't fix. Didn't cost me nothin'."

"You're still taking your time to fix my car."

"Wasn't gonna do anything today anyway." Daryl grunted. "It's keepin' me busy."

"But you're—

"I offered to help." Daryl interrupted, fixing her with his piercing blue eyes. "You can't convince me just 'cause you're pretty."

Beth stared at him, her mouth hanging open slightly. Did he just call her pretty?

Daryl seemed to realize what he had said a little too late and turned away quickly, drinking long from his beer to keep occupied. Beth swore she saw him blushing. He set the beer down, now empty, clearing his throat as he turned his focus back on her engine, tuning her out completely.

They were silent for several minutes, Beth still staring at Daryl as he worked, hoping he was going to address what he had just said to her, but she knew him well enough by now that he wasn't going to. He was a man of few emotions, and if his statement would have been an Olympic competition, it would have won the gold for going out of his comfort zone.

"How long did you say it was going to be?" Beth asked, standing from her chair.

Daryl shrugged. "I can finish this up and work on the rest later." He offered, not looking at her.

"No, it's fine. If I'm going to be here for a while, I was wondering if I could make you and Ann-Marie dinner tonight. To say thank you." She suggested.

"You don't have to do that." He mumbled.

"I want to."

Daryl finally looked at her for a moment before turning away. "Might not be much in the kitchen."

Beth smiled. "I think I can manage." She walked back into the house, making her way to the fridge again to see what they had.

They really did have nothing in their fridge, besides several vacuum-sealed packages of meat, a few stray vegetables, soda, beer, and a jug of milk. She moved onto the cabinets and found better prospects there, but she didn't want to just make them spaghetti. That would be too easy. She wanted to show Daryl how much she appreciated what he was doing.

"Miss Beth?"

Beth turned around quickly and saw Ann-Marie standing in the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing at her eyes and looking thoroughly confused as her little puppy circled her legs. It looked like it was flourishing under the girl's care. "What are you doing in our house?" She asked.

"Your daddy is working on my car, and I decided to make you all dinner since he was busy. Do you have any requests?" She smiled.

Ann-Marie shook her head and moved to one of the barstools, climbing up into it to watch Beth work.

"How was your hunting trip today?" Beth asked, pulling out one of the packages of meat from the fridge and inspecting it, trying to figure out what it was.

"It was fun. I shot a rabbit." She told her proudly, smiling when Beth looked at her. "That's deer." She pointed at the package in Beth's hand.

"Thank you." Beth told her, setting it in the sink to let it warm up a bit. "And that's great. I bet you'll be the best hunter in Georgia when you grow up."

"Daddy's the best." Ann-Marie said firmly.

"I'm sure he is." Beth agreed. "Do you know if you have any more vegetables, sweetheart?" She was already starting to get an idea of what she wanted to make for their dinner tonight.

Hopping off of her seat, Ann-Marie walked over to the kitchen sink, opening the cabinet below it and grabbing a small step stool. Taking it, she set it right next to Beth and used it to climb up on the counter, opening a cabinet to Beth's right. It was filed to the brim with the vegetables Annette had given them several weeks ago. It looked like the Dixons had barely made a dent in the stockpile of canned goods she had sent home with them.

"Well, I think we'll be just fine on vegetables." Beth laughed. "Can you grab me a jar of carrots and a jar of beans?" She went back over to the fridge, noticing an unknown glass pitcher of brown liquid.

"That's deer broth." Ann-Marie explained, startling Beth as she appeared at her elbow. "We make it in the slow cooker."

"You really like sneaking up on people, don't you?" Beth asked, taking the broth and setting it on the counter.

Ann-Marie smiled. "It's fun. I like to see what people do." She held up the two jars of vegetables. "Where do I put them?"

"On the counter, by the stove." Beth directed. She looked around the cabinets and finally found a large pot, along with a cutting board and a knife to cut the vegetables and meat.

"What are you making?" Ann-Marie asked, trying to look up on the stove.

"Don't get so close. I don't want you to get burned." Beth guided her a few steps away. "I'm making deer stew."

"I like deer stew. Daddy's made it before."

"Well, I hope I can live up to his. Can you go get me three potatoes?" Ann-Marie hurried off to fulfill her task while Beth started cutting up the deer in the package and browning it in the pot. When Ann-Marie came back, Beth smiled down at her. "Good. Now can you wash them for me?"

They both became focused on their work as Beth moved on to cutting vegetables, taking the potatoes from Ann-Marie as she finished washing them to cut them and toss them in the pot with the meat and the deer broth.

"Your daddy told me you read the Harry Potter books. Do you like them?" Beth asked once Ann-Marie was done washing, moving back to watch Beth from the bar.

Ann-Marie gave her an almost-offended look. "I love them." She corrected. "They're my favorite. Me and Daddy read a chapter every night. I want to Hermione when I grow up."

"I thought you told me you wanted to be Mia Hamm." Beth responded, remembering something she had mentioned during one of their lessons when they were talking about how Ann-Marie liked playing soccer.

"I can be both. A wizard soccer player." Ann-Marie smiled.

"What Hogwarts house do you think you'd be in?"

Ann-Marie was quiet for several moments, obviously thinking hard about her answer. "I want to be in Gryffindor. But I think I'm a Slytherin. Daddy would be in Gryffindor."

"What makes you say that?"

"He kills the spiders." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I think we're going to need something to go along with this stew." Beth said once the stew was simmering on the stove. "Do you want to learn how to make biscuits?"

It didn't take long for both of them to get covered in flour as Beth stood behind Ann-Marie, guiding her hands to show her how to mix they ingredients together and fold the dough just enough so they would be flaky, answering all the questions she had about why they were doing a certain thing, or why they had to add an ingredient. Beth was surprised just how many questions she had, how inquisitive she was. She wanted to know exactly what was going on, almost to the point where she could do it herself if Beth asked her to because she knew so much.

"Okay, now it's time to cut these. Do you know if you have a circle cookie cutter?" Beth started looking around in the drawers and miraculously found one, bringing it back over to Ann-Marie on her step stool. "Do you want to cut them?" No response.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Beth asked when Ann-Marie stayed silent. She looked over and saw the little girl staring at her left wrist, where her bracelets had ridden up and revealed the raised, thick white scar running along the inside of her wrist. She reached out and touched it gently, feeling the bump of healed skin.

"Daddy has scars like this. On his back." Ann-Marie murmured before she looked up at Beth with a frown. "Was your daddy mean to you?"

"No, sweetheart." Beth said, swallowing the ball that had formed in her throat at what Ann-Marie had just told her. She liked to think that she and Daryl were getting to know each other more, but she never expected to learn something like that about him. She had seen what she thought had been a scar on his shoulder when his sleeveless shirt had pulled back just a little bit the first time he had come over to her house, when she had asked him to look at it for her, but she hadn't felt it was her place to ask him, or anyone, about them. Or even mention it. She knew how uncomfortable she got whenever anyone asked her about her own scar. She couldn't imagine how Daryl might feel if she asked. It was obvious he hadn't given those to himself.

"No, I just did something stupid and it gave me the scar. But I'm all better now. Come on, let's get these cut and on to the sheet." Beth diverted the subject, pushing the thought of how she got her own scar out of her mind as they finished baking.

They finally got the biscuits in the oven and the stew was being kept warm on the stove, waiting to be eaten. "We have twelve minutes until the biscuits are done. Do you want to go outside for a bit?"

"Yeah. I want to see what Daddy's doing." She nodded.

"Lead the way." Beth smiled, following Ann-Marie outside.

"What are you working on, Daddy?" Ann-Marie asked, walking over to stand next to Daryl, peering over the top of the car to look at the engine.

"Miss Beth's got some things wrong with her car. I'm fixin' it up for her. Hand me the socket wrench?"

She walked over to the tool bench and grabbed the requested tool, handing it back to him. "Miss Beth made dinner. I helped make the biscuits."

"You did? It smells real good." Daryl said.

Ann-Marie turned back to Beth, beaming. Beth returned the smile. She obviously loved her daddy and was ecstatic when she got his praise. "Can I help?" She asked.

"Why don't you go inside to wash up and set the table. Me and Miss Beth will be right in." Ann-Marie disappeared inside the house, leaving Beth and Daryl alone outside in silence.

"How does it look?" Beth finally asked him. He started slightly as if he had forgotten Beth was outside with him and glanced at her before looking back at her car.

"I've got most of it done. Should just be a few more minutes after dinner before I get it all the way done." He answered, reaching into his back pocket for the rag he always kept there to wipe his hands from the grease and oil covering them. "You really didn't have to make dinner."

"It was no trouble. I wanted to." The oven timer sounded from inside the house.

"Miss Beth! What do I do next?" Ann-Marie called.

"Don't touch the oven!" Beth and Daryl yelled at the same time. Beth looked to Daryl with a small smile. "We better get in there before she burns your house down."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Daryl grumbled, opening the screen door for her before they walked inside.

Dinner was more boisterous than Beth would have expected. Ann-Marie still dominated the conversation, but it allowed Beth to take a step back and observe Daryl. He listened to his daughter like everything she had to say was more important than anything in the world, giving her his undivided attention even when she went on for ten minutes about a butterfly she saw when they were out hunting that morning, one she was sure he wouldn't usually give a thought to if he had been out by himself and declared the biscuits the best he had ever had when he took a bite, making Ann-Marie look like she was going to burst with pride.

"Miss Beth, have you ever been hunting?" Ann-Marie asked, turning her attention to Beth on the other side of the table.

Beth was careful to fully chew and swallow her food before speaking so she wouldn't choke. "Once, before, with a friend from high school. I'm not a very good shot. I almost took my friend's ear off."

"You close your eyes when the gun went off?" Daryl asked.

Beth looked at him and immediately looked away when she was the one who now had his attention, his gaze intense on her. "It was louder than I expected." She grumbled.

"Mm." Daryl was actually smirking when she looked back over at him. "Looks like Miss Beth can't come with us anytime soon if we want to keep our ears."

"It was one time."

"Daddy could teach you." Ann-Marie offered, looking between the two adults. "He taught me and Carol."

"That's okay. I wouldn't want to waste your time."

"It wouldn't be a waste of time. Take an afternoon and I bet you might hit the target at the end." Daryl deadpanned.

"Oh, I don't think so. I'm sure my aim would be good enough to hit you." Beth shot back, smiling when he gave her a shocked look. "Don't dish it if you can't take it, Mr. Dixon."

The Dixons didn't have a dishwasher, so when they finished eating Beth helped Daryl and Ann-Marie to wash their dishes from dinner before they all went outside. Beth sat in the chair she had been in earlier while Daryl went to her car and started working on the engine again. Ann-Marie immediately went to the toy box to Beth's right to dig around. She finally extracted a soccer ball and held it in front of her as she looked at Daryl.

"Can I go over to Sophia's house to see if she wants to play?" She asked.

Daryl looked at her and nodded. "Yell if you need me."

Ann-Marie smiled and took off towards the Peletier's, dropping the ball on the ground and dribbling it across the large yard.

"She's good." Beth commented, looking back to Daryl.

"Yeah." Daryl said, smiling slightly. "Thanks for making dinner."

"No problem. It kept me busy instead of just hovering over you."

Daryl glanced at her before looking back to her car, tightening something before stepping back and closing the hood of her car. "Climb on in. Let's give it a go." Once Beth was situated in the driver's seat, Daryl stood in the space between her open door and the car, putting one hand on the door and the other on the top of her car. "Okay, turn it over."

Beth turned the ignition, grinning as the engine roared to life, sounding as good as it did when she first got it. No weird rattling noise when she started it up, followed by hissing that made Beth worry it was going to explode on her while she was driving and end up on the news. She turned towards Daryl and hopped out of the car, throwing her arms around Daryl's neck as she laughed with happiness. Her car finally worked.

She felt Daryl stiffen instantly when she touched him, then relax, letting her hug him until she finally realized what she was doing. Her eyes widened and she immediately stepped back, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I just…" Beth took a deep breath and managed a smile. "Thank you."

Daryl cleared his throat and nodded. "Sure."

Even after stepping back from him, Beth's heart was still racing while she watched him start to clean up his tools from around her car. She kept trying to deny it, but it was getting harder and harder to tell herself to just forget about Daryl Dixon. They saw each other almost every single day, they could talk easily to each other, and she had to stop herself several times from calling him to tell him good news, or something exciting, or just to talk to him because he always seemed to be on her mind.

It was one thing to be friends with a student's parent, but it would probably be completely against protocol if she were to start a romantic relationship with them.

To hell with protocol.

"Do you want to go on a date with me?" She blurted out, staring at him expectantly as his head whipped up to look at her. When he didn't answer right away, she immediately began to backtrack, her stomach twisting in knots. "I mean, if you want to. I know it's a little odd, since I'm Ann-Marie's teacher, but I thought maybe—

"Yes." He answered simply, cutting her off with what she recognized was his version of a smile, his lips quirking up slightly.

Beth stared at him for a moment, processing his answer, before breaking out in a grin. "Cool! I mean, that's great. So, should I meet you somewhere or just text you later?" Beth now realized she had no plan.

"I'll pick you up at seven on Friday. Are you free?" Daryl asked. How does he still look so calm?

Beth nodded, her cheeks hurting from smiling. "Okay, I'll see you then. Or tomorrow. Whichever. I mean you might be busy tomorrow." She opened the back door to her car to let Riley in and then opened her driver's door. She gave him one last smile before climbing in her car and backing out of the driveway, waving goodbye to Ann-Marie. Her stomach was still fluttering when she made it back home, and she couldn't stop smiling. Friday couldn't come fast enough.


"Why are you wearing your bank clothes, Daddy?" Ann-Marie asked, climbing up on his bed to watch him as he looked in the mirror anchored on the wall. It was Friday before Daryl even knew it, and it just then had sunk in that he was about to go out on a date, an actual date, without interruptions for the first time. He kept taking deep breaths to keep from going crazy. He wasn't scared of anything, but if he had been nervous to ask her out on a date so much that she ended up asking him first, he was scared shitless thinking about going on the actual date.

Daryl sighed, shrugging out of the shirt. "Don't know, sugar bean. What do you think of this?" He held up a long-sleeved flannel shirt to show her.

She nodded in agreement. "What is it for?"

"I'm going to go out tonight with a friend." He told her, not wanting to say that it was Beth. He knew how much Ann-Marie liked Beth and didn't want to get her hopes up, just in case he fucked up and the date didn't go well.

"Is that why Uncle Rick and Aunt Lori are coming over to watch me?"

"Yeah. I'll probably be back after you go to sleep, but I'll come in and say good night. Go on into the living room, I need to finish getting ready."

It only took a record ten minutes after Rick and Lori had gotten to the house to get Ann-Marie to let Daryl leave, finding every possible excuse to get him to stay, or for him to bring her with him. Before Ann-Marie had started school, they had spent almost all of their time together, and after school and on the weekends they were always together. Sometimes he worried she didn't have a lot of friends her own age was because they spent so much time together.

After bribing Ann-Marie with the promise to bring something back as if he were going to China and not Savannah, Daryl took the short drive to Beth's house and saw she was already waiting on the porch by the time he pulled into the driveway, sitting on the front steps. She gave him a bright smile and walked to his truck as he stepped out to meet her. She had curled her hair and pinned up some parts of it, and she was wearing a lacy white dress with cowboy boots. Damn, she's gorgeous.

"You look nice." She smiled. "I like your shirt."

"Might be one of the only things I own that's nice. You do too." Daryl responded. "You ever gonna let me come up to your door? Or are you gonna stand there each time waiting like I'm late?"

"If you feel that strongly about it, I'll make sure next time I wait until you get all the way out of your car, and all the way up the steps, just so you can walk me all the way back to your car. Would that make you happy?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, it would." Daryl answered. "Trying to be a gentleman." He walked Beth to the passenger's side and opened the door for her, making sure she and her dress were both inside before he shut the door and climbed in on his side.

"Am I giving you comments at the end of the night?" She smiled.

"Yeah. Leave your card in the box on the way out."

Beth laughed, looking out the window as he started to drive. "So? Where are we going?"

"That'd ruin the surprise."

Beth was silent. "You're doing this just to bother me."

"Yep."

"That's going on the card, Mr. Dixon."

Beth, as usual, did most of the talking as they drove to Savannah. Daryl was just happy to be with Beth, and that she had done what he couldn't and finally initiated the date they said they were going to go on. He hoped him arranging everything for the evening made up for him wussing out and causing Beth to take initiative, as long as nothing got screwed up tonight. He wanted to impress her.

"You're really not going to tell me where we're going?" Beth asked, looking out the window when they finally reached Savannah.

"You're impatient, aren't you?"

"I prefer to be called an ardent gatherer of knowledge."

"Fancy way of saying impatient." Daryl said, smirking when Beth frowned at him, then thinking against it. Probably shouldn't make fun of her on a date. Daryl finally parked near the restaurant, a small place on the coast that was already packed with people on a Saturday night. He wondered if he should have worn something besides jeans and a flannel shirt after seeing another couple walk in looking dressed to the nines. He doubted it really mattered. As long as they could pay, which he could, it wouldn't matter what he wore.

"Oh, I've heard of this place. Lori was telling me about it at the staff meeting last Friday. She and Rick went here a few weeks ago. I wonder if the food is as good as she said. She has some strange obsession with octopus. Yeah, I know." Beth agreed when Daryl pulled a face. "I'm sure they have regular food though."

Daryl plucked up enough and took Beth's hand as she climbed out of the truck, keeping a hold on it as they started to walk to the restaurant. Beth smiled up at him and stepped closer, their arms gently bumping into each other during the walk. She liked it. Good.

There were more people all dressed like they were going to a wedding when they stepped inside the restaurant, and Daryl was then sure he should have worn his bank clothes. Some of them gave Daryl sidelong glances at his attire, but he was just focusing on Beth. She looked like she could fit in with this crowd.

"All these people look like stiffs. It's still eighty degrees outside, who wears a three-piece suit?" Beth's voice was suddenly in his ear, her hand squeezing his. "Who wants to sweat into their food?"

A snort of laughter escaped Daryl as they made their way to the check-in podium. "We have a reservation under Dixon." Daryl told the host. He had made the reservation earlier this week to ensure they didn't have to wait and have any awkward small talk.

The host looked through the computer and shook his head. "I don't see any reservation for Dixon. If you want, you can wait for a table to free up."

"I made the reservation Tuesday. It's not there?"

The host didn't bother to look again. "No, sir."

"Then how long is the wait?"

"An hour."

"An hour?"

"Really Daryl, it's okay." Beth rested a hand on his arm. "There are plenty of other places we can go eat. And I'm sure they're not half as stuffy as this place." She added with a smile.

Daryl relaxed at her touch but still couldn't help but be pissed that his plan for a nice night for Beth got shot in the face. He spared one last glare at the host as he allowed her to lead him out of the restaurant and on to the street.

"Let's walk this way and see what we can find." Beth started walking down the sidewalk, turning back to Daryl when she noticed he wasn't following. "You coming?"

"You sure you don't want to go back in there and wait? The food's probably better than anything else we can find 'round here." Daryl watched as Beth smiled and shook her head, continuing to walk down the street. This woman. Daryl took a few long strides and caught up to her quickly, looking over at her as she scouted for another place.

"Are you craving anything in particular?" Beth asked. Daryl shook his head. To him it didn't matter where they ate. The night had already gotten thrown off-course, he just wanted to salvage it.

"What about this place?" Beth asked.

Daryl looked over and saw the place was a complete dive, more in line with a bar that happened to serve food instead of a restaurant, or even a diner. There were several motorcycles parked outside, their owners already looking Beth up and down. Daryl stepped in their line of vision and gave them his best Back the fuck off glare, taking Beth's hand possessively.

Beth obviously hadn't noticed how far beneath this place was for a person like her and smiled up at Daryl when he took her hand. "It looks like it could be good. The food's probably nice and greasy. Let's go." Beth didn't wait for his answer before dragging him inside to a table near the window.

"I wonder what they have." Beth mused, grabbing the menu propped against the napkin dispenser and laying it flat so they both could see it. "The sandwiches look good."

Daryl stared at her until she looked up at him. "What?" She asked.

"You sure you want to eat here? It's not very…" Daryl tried to find the right word without insulting her or making her think that she was a snob. She definitely wasn't. And he didn't want to ruin the date anymore than it already was. Daryl didn't mind that the floor was sticky and it probably hadn't had a deep clean since it opened. He'd been in worse places when he used to follow Merle around, but Beth was nice and kind and clean that she immediately stood out and looked like she didn't belong, especially in her white dress.

"Refined?" She answered with a small smile. "I think it's perfect. Besides, I don't need to eat at a fancy place like that other one to have a good time. I'm just happy to be with you." She spoke truthfully but didn't realize it until she looked back down at the menu. Daryl watched as her eyes widened and a blush stained her cheeks. Apparently the date wasn't going as horribly as Daryl thought.

"What can I get you two?" A college-aged waiter appeared who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else than working in the bar.

"Can I get BLT and a coke?" Beth asked.

"I'll get a steak sandwich and whisky." Daryl told him. The waiter came back with their drinks and left them to go put in the rest of their order.

"I wonder if they have a playlist or if they have a jukebox." Beth looked over to the other section of the bar that held a few pool tables, all currently occupied. "Do you want to play a round after we eat?"

"Looks like they're playing for keeps. You got anything you're willing to lose?"

"I left my cash at home, and I'm not about to gamble my cards. I don't think anyone would want my teacher's salary anyway." Beth smiled.

They stayed quiet for a few moments. Daryl watched as Beth drummed her fingers on the tabletop with one hand and traced the rim of her glass with the other, her focus on watching the bartender mix drinks with a skill that made Daryl wonder what the hell they were doing in a hole like this where the most complicated order was probably a Jack and coke. Their order came out, taking some of the stress away of having to make conversation because they were eating.

"Still liking your new house?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Yeah. It's a lot less lonely with Riley now. I'm glad to be out on my own." She admitted.

"It's good you've at least got a dog. It's not safe living by yourself."

"So I've heard. Apparently, Coleson is a lot more dangerous than I remember." She smirked. "Nothing bad ever happens, Daryl. I'm pretty sure most people keep their front doors unlocked."

"Still. You never know what idiots might roll through and try something."

Daryl and Beth looked out the window at the street when the roar of several motorbikes slowly grew louder, becoming almost deafening as a group of at least ten sped bikes raced down the street past the restaurant, going well over the speed limit.

"Dicks." Daryl muttered.

"My brother rides those." Beth commented, gesturing with a straw to the bikes as they disappeared.

The back of Daryl's neck immediately grew hot, realizing he had just shoved his foot in his mouth. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "He's a motocross racer. It drives my parents crazy. He never rides them down the street like that, though." She looked at him, her eyes smiling. "Those guys were jerks."

Daryl guessed the look on his face was mild shock because Beth's smile grew. "What? Was jerks too mean for you?"

Daryl shook his head. "Just surprising. I don't think I've heard you say something mean to someone. Besides me."

"I only tease people I know can take it. I'm not that cruel. Or am I?" It was Daryl's turn to give her a look that made Beth laugh. Hell yeah.

The rest of the night went the best Daryl could have guessed. After they ate, they went over to the pool tables and played several rounds, where Daryl learned Beth was a burgeoning pool shark after she cleaned out three bikers and caused them to make a quick getaway when they started to get some glares.

"I can't believe you took all their money. It's like you were trying to get me beaten up." Daryl said once they were safely back in his truck, taking off like Bonnie and Clyde back to Coleson.

"You wouldn't have gotten beaten up. And even if you did, that would have made for a memorable date." Beth smiled, then her face grew serious. "I'm sorry I put us in danger."

"It's fine. They didn't look that tough."

"One of them had a piercing through the bridge of his nose."

Daryl paused. "He might have been a decent fight."

"Well, I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you." Beth smiled, turning to him after she had unlocked her door. "Do you want to split our winnings?"

Daryl shook his head. "You keep it. You can use it to buy more dress stuff." Beth nodded and put the money back in her purse and stood there, looking at him. Shit, what do I do now? Do I kiss her? She's staring at me like I should do something. Fuckin' idiot.

When Beth took a step forward, he panicked and took an involuntary step back out of instinct to keep anyone out of his personal space. "I should get home to check on Ann-Marie."

The surprise and hurt on Beth's face was instant, but she quickly schooled her expression back to neutral with a small, forced smile. "Good night." She murmured, opening the door to her house quietly and slipping inside before Daryl could even say a word.


Beth closed the door silently behind her, clicking the lock into place. She hadn't been expecting a kiss, but had the date really been that bad? He hadn't even made a move, and when she had reached up to kiss him on the cheek, he stood there stiff as a board. This was going to ruin everything. They had a nice banter going, almost like they were friends, then she had to go and allow herself to start like liking him. She was the stupidest person on the face of the planet. Why would he even be looking for a relationship? He had Ann-Marie to take care of. Adding someone else would probably be too much.

She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that it was going to be the most awkward meeting ever the next time she saw him as she walked towards her bedroom. She'd better start practicing her apology now.

A sudden banging on her front door made Beth jump. That must be Daryl. No one else would come here this late, and she hadn't heard his truck pull away. What could he possibly want from her? Rub salt in the wound caused by their apparently terrible first date?

Guess I don't have time to practice my apology. Beth sighed internally, padding back towards her front door and opening it, seeing Daryl standing there, looking flustered. She immediately became concerned, opening the door wider to get a better look at him.

"Daryl? Is there—

Daryl surged forward, cutting her off as he pressed his lips to hers, both his hands coming up to gently frame her face. Beth raised her hands in shock as he kissed her, startled by the sudden and definitely unexpected gesture on Daryl's part. But as his lips moved carefully against hers, she recovered, closing her eyes and leaning into it as she rested her hands on his biceps. He tasted faintly of smoke and the whisky he had at dinner, and something else that Beth couldn't identify that was just him. Her stomach was doing somersaults at his touch, and she feared that her heart was going to beat out of its chest from how rapidly it was contracting. The kiss was exhilarating, borderline intoxicating. And Beth only wanted more.

She moved her arms up to wrap around his neck while one of his hands traveled down to the small of her back, gently pressing her closer to him, his other tangling in her hair, running through it and tugging at the ends. His lips were supple but still firm, guiding her confused mouth until she finally responded to his ministrations. She started to feel lightheaded, both from the pure exhilaration of their first kiss and the fact she had somehow forgotten to breathe. In and out, through the nose.

She whimpered slightly when he pulled back, his eyes searching hers for any sign of disapproval, but Beth knew he wasn't going to find any. If she was still planning on telling herself she didn't want Daryl Dixon, that was blown out of the water the moment his lips touched hers. For her, there was no turning back now.

"Good night." Daryl finally said, leaving Beth semi-paralyzed from shock in the doorway as he walked back to his truck, climbing in and pulling out of her driveway while Beth was only able to blink after him.

Oh boy.


Again, I'm really sorry this chapter took so long to get out. The good news is, this was the hump I was trying to get over, so the rest of it should be on a semi-regular schedule (as regular as I can be). I really appreciate your support, it brightens my day to see your comments.

If you have time, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter! I love hearing from y'all.

Thank you for reading! Until next time~