Daryl had to hand it to Beth, she had balls. His eyes had narrowed at the small screen of his phone when he'd seen his name typed into the search engine. He was pretty sure she wouldn't find anything of interest there but that small act of defiance had made him furious and... Impressed?

He'd had to shove the phone away because Merle was giving him a strange look and the last thing he wanted was his brother taking a closer look at his personal life. He was confident that he could sell the idea he had a girlfriend to most others but Merle could usually smell bullshit a mile off and he'd know a girlfriend was out of character for Daryl. As far as Daryl could tell, Karen hadn't mentioned Beth to anyone else but he knew that couldn't last and he'd actually have to put some effort into making this cover story convincing. For some reason that fact settled in his stomach like a lump of coal, making him feel cold dread.

In the days that had followed Beth's discovery of his computer, Daryl had to turn off the alert system in his phone. She spent hours on the damned thing now. He'd lost count of the times he'd jerked awake at four in the morning to hear the swift tapping of laptop keys.

The first time Daryl had groggily asked, "the fuck you doin'?"

"Looking for information," Beth replied, not even looking at him. The glow from the screen was the only light in the room and it was giving her a ghostly hue. Daryl had groaned, rolled off the couch and pressed the laptop shut with the pads of his fingers.

"Go to bed," he'd instructed curtly. She had simmered at him, resenting being sent to her room like a misbehaving child. Daryl hadn't given a shit. Far as he was concerned, she was.

This routine repeated itself for a few nights but one night Daryl had woken up by the familiar sounds of Beth on the laptop and something else. Beth was sniffing and wiping her eyes. Daryl chanced a stealthy peak at what she was looking at and he saw she was looking at an article from the Senoia local paper that had a picture of the Greene patriarch and his wife. Beth was crying quietly and Daryl's chest got inexplicably tight.

He lay there for a few minutes, feigning sleep until the sounds of her tearing had desisted. Then he got to his feet.

"I'm almost done," Beth said quickly, acquainted with their dance by now. She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand

Daryl just shook his head and said, "have at it." He went to his bedroom and collapsed into his own bed. His muscles rejoiced as his body sunk into the mattress. Even the new smell of cinnamon and honey couldn't deter from his satisfaction at being able to sleep in his own bed. That became their new routine. Daryl would sleep on the couch until Beth gave into insomnia and returned to the computer and then they'd swap.

Daryl knew Beth was obsessing over trying to find out all she could on the Governor but it was giving her something to do. When Daryl would get out of bed in the morning, Beth would still be there, eyes rimmed red from lack of sleep and hair messily pulled back away from her face.

Neither of them would acknowledge the other and Daryl would start the coffee. For once he had coffee in the house. He'd deposit one mug in front of Beth, remembering how much sugar she liked (too much) and how much milk she'd take. Then he'd take his own cup into the bathroom and start getting ready for the day. This was all done without saying a word.

Some time while he was out at work, Beth must have been sleeping and showering because by the time he finished work he usually had a text on his phone asking for more things from the grocery store. That was the other thing Beth Greene did. When she wasn't thoroughly scouring the internet for even the smallest clue that would help her understand the monster that murdered her parents, she was cooking.

Every night she'd make something for dinner and Daryl found himself usually in the kitchen watching. It was like stepping into the kitchen made her a different person. She became calmer and her eyes lost that frenetic gleam that he'd see over the computer. He was almost fascinated to watch this shift in her as she moved with ease around his space. Who was he kidding? The kitchen was her domain now. And as much as he liked having a home cooked meal in the evenings, his house was filling up with other things. He had more muffins, cakes and biscuits than he knew what to do with. Daryl had actually put on weight. It was when he realised her calmness in this room was a deception. It was another obsession, something to take her mind off the boredom and helplessness she was feeling.

Daryl would have to do something to restore balance to the girl, she was running in extremes. From eerie calm to the wired and twitchy. He started small and tried to influence her in ways that would be seen as innocuous. He didn't want his involvement to be blatant, it was already unwilling. DVDs found their way into the apartment as did books and half the time the coffee he started was actually decafe. Daryl couldn't guess what her personal tastes might run to but at least it was something. When they remained untouched, Daryl realised he'd have to do something more significant and cursed. He didn't want to wade into this emotional minefield but he had no choice. If he didn't intervene, he'd be triple his size and any day now he half expected Beth to be hanging from the rafters by her feet like some sort of deranged, human shaped bat.

Daryl was distracted as he waited for Martinez to finish up a meeting with some local pimp. He wasn't a threat, Martinez would be more than capable of handling the situation on his own if the need arose, and Daryl was there mostly for decoration.

The meeting wrapped up and they were walking back to their bikes when Martinez stopped him. "Where the fuck is your head at, man?"

Daryl's lips sealed into a thin line. He deserved to be berated. His preoccupation with Beth was making him bad at his job. Both of them.

"If you tell me it has something to do with a girl, I'm gonna slap you," Martinez declared threateningly. So Karen had told her husband about Beth. Daryl couldn't very well confess that it was a girl on his mind, just not the way Martinez thought it was.

"I got a bad feeling about the Angels," Daryl told Martinez, thinking on his feet. "They're being too damn quiet an' it's got me worried for what's gonna go down when we get that order in next week."

Martinez's anger dissipated a little. He was still glaring at Daryl but he looked less likely to punch him in the gut now.

"Maybe they're just being sensible," Martinez said with a shrug.

Daryl snorted and shook his head, remembering the hours long strategy meeting that Martinez had kept them all at. "You don't believe that horseshit."

"No but I know I got a job to do and sulking won't make our business any easier. What'll happen will happen." Martinez wasn't the type of person who believed in fate or destiny but it sounded very much like he was saying that Daryl was over thinking the situation.

Daryl frowned but didn't press the issue. He'd narrowly avoided a dressing down over acting like a moody teenager.

Martinez' features shifted and a cheeky grin crossed his face. "But you do have a girlfriend."

Daryl groaned. "I knew Karen wouldn't be able to resist telling you."

"She's happy for you, she wants to know if you're bringing her to my birthday."

Daryl squinted at the other man. "We end up gossiping about girls, I'll be the one to slap you."

Martinez chuckled and held his hands up in the air. "Alright, I'll leave the prying for Karen. But you need to focus. Do what you gotta do and sort your shit out!" It was both a friendly suggestion and a command from his superior. Daryl was getting real sick of having his life dictated by other people but he kept a lid on his temper and nodded. Martinez was right; his attention couldn't be so divided in the coming week, not with such a dangerous rendezvous planned.

When he got a spare minute to himself, Daryl found a quiet spot and punched a number into his cell. It wasn't a saved number but he knew it by heart now.

"Grimes," was the curt one word answer.

"Rick, its Daryl."

"What's wrong, is Beth alright?"

It was all about fucking Beth today and Daryl couldn't even get mad because it was accurate.

"She's baking!"

"She's what?" Rick didn't sound as concerned anymore, just perplexed.

"She won't stop baking; every surface in my damned apartment is covered in shit."

There was a weary sigh. "What are you telling me for?" Rick's question was barely wrapped in patience.

"She's going crazy up there. I need permission to take her out of the house."

...

Daryl thought he was so clever changing the coffee every couple of days but Beth could taste the difference. She knew when the caffeine wasn't in her body. She had never liked coffee much before but now she'd come to crave her morning hit, feeling it race through her body like little sparks.

It wasn't a problem; she would just wait until Daryl left for the day and make a new pot. Her eyes always stung these days from not getting enough sleep and spending long hours staring solely at the artificial light of the computer. But she couldn't bring herself not to constantly sift through the information.

She wasn't stupid, she knew Daryl was trying to lure her away from the computer with the not so subtle arrival of books and movies but Beth couldn't tear herself away even though she knew she had exhausted all the sources she could personally access.

When she'd read almost everything she could find on the Governor she had started reading journals on international terror cells and world events. When she was all up to date on those issues, she started looking at gun management and martial arts. Beth wanted to be able to defend herself and reading about it was a close second. When Beth realised she was watching youtube videos of cats jumping, she slumped back in her seat.

She'd officially reached a new low. There was nothing left to search. She was smart and had spent hour after hour ingesting all these facts. Sure she could watch the movies or read the books but that seemed disrespectful. Enjoying herself or having a good time was flippant in light of all that had happened. In retrospect, Beth wished she had kept her head in the aftermath of her parents' death. If she'd been fired up like Shawn, maybe they would have paired her with someone who had an active role in the search for the Governor instead of the person with the least connections to the situation. Thinking about her siblings gave her that familiar hollow feeling and she absently wandered into the kitchen and snatched up a muffin. She picked at it half heartedly but made herself finish it. Beth's appetite was inconsistent but she still ate regularly because that's what healthy, well adjusted people did.

Beth finished the muffin, barely tasting it, before returning to the desk and staring at the laptop, fingers hovering uncertainly over the keys. She was saved from frantically coming up with a new topic to research because the door opened.

Beth jumped and looked around wildly. She hadn't expected Daryl back for ages but a quick look made her realise it was actually late, evening had settled in the apartment. Daryl looked at the laptop and she saw a flicker of something deep in those steely blue eyes. She wasn't sure if it was concern but she knew her actions had caught his attention. Whether she appreciated the scrutiny was another thing entirely.

The youtube cat video was still displayed and Beth wanted to shrivel with embarrassment as Daryl's cool eyes swept over the situation. He leaned over her, arm brushing her shoulder for a second, and pushed the laptop down. The whir of the machine continued for a few seconds and then silenced. Deprived of the glow from the screen, Beth could see it was darker than she thought.

"Get up, we're going for a walk," Daryl instructed her.

It was so unexpected that Beth could only blink at him. "I can't," Beth stammered.

Daryl's expression turned rueful. "The cat will be there when you get back."

"No," Beth clarified, blushing red. "I mean, I'm not allowed, remember?" She waved the hand with the bracelet for emphasis. Daryl's eyes followed the swing of her wrist before settling back on her face. It was disconcerting and Beth sat up straighter.

"We're gonna try something out. We ain't gonna go far, there's nobody around and I'll be with you every step of the way."

Beth looked at the still open door. For so many days, she longed for the freedom to go outside and now that she was presented with the opportunity, she was scared. Her heart was racing. It wasn't safe out there. Not anymore. Daryl's gaze hadn't wavered and for some reason she didn't want to tell him the real reason she was apprehensive. He already thought she was weak and strange.

Beth got to her feet unsteadily and clasped her hands to disguise the fact they were shaking. "Alright," Beth agreed quietly.

If Daryl sensed her reticence, he kept it to himself. He walked out the door and gesturing for her to follow. The movement lifted his shirt just slightly and Beth caught a glimpse of a gun kept at the small of his back. Beth didn't think that Daryl would hesitate to use it. Inhaling deeply, she followed him.

After all her fear upstairs, stepping outside was anticlimactic. She took her first step out on to the pavement and flinched, half scared that it was cruel joke on Daryl's part and he was about to drag her back inside. Daryl was merely shifting from foot to foot impatiently. He looked just as uncomfortable as she felt, which went miles towards reassuring her.

"Which way we going?" Beth eventually asked.

"I figured we could just go a couple of blocks, see how that goes," Daryl suggested. His confidence in the apartment had vanished on the street. He put his hands in his pockets and waited.

Beth forced a shaky smile. "Sounds good."

They walked in silence and Beth took the time just to look around. The air was like syrup on her skin, the humidity amplified by the encroaching night. There were still the colours of sunset on the very edge of the horizon, still too early to see stars yet. In normal circumstances Beth would have lamented the lack of a breeze but after too long inside, it felt perfect just as it was.

The quiet was too strained to feel companionable. "Did you have a good day at work?" Beth asked.

Daryl took so long answering that she started to regret asking. Daryl shrugged his shoulders eventually and mumbled, "S'ok."

"Another thing I can't know?" Beth was surprised how bitter she sounded.

Daryl shot her a sidelong glance. "Yeah, it ain't for you to know."

Beth shucked her eyes downwards, feeling a blush creeping up her neck and scolding herself internally for being so stupid as to think they might be able to have a conversation.

"There is some dangerous shit going on at the moment. It's not very pleasant." Daryl looked just as staggered as Beth was that he had shared with her.

"That doesn't sound good," Beth contributed hesitatingly.

Daryl chuckled and the sound was unexpected and genuine. Beth liked it.

"Yeah you could say that," he agreed, running a hand through his hair.

"Why do you do it?" Beth asked abruptly. "Is it just for your brother?"

Daryl's gaze sharpened into a glare. "You don't know anything 'bout it."

Beth bit her lip, fear flaring in her stomach. He'd been gruff with before but she'd never heard the coldness he used now. She wasn't aware she had recoiled back from him until Daryl's eyes widened a fraction and she saw colour creep up his neck.

"Don't look at me like that, wasn't gonna hurt you."

He felt bad for scaring her, that much was obvious, but that his response was to scold her irked Beth.

"How'm I supposed to know that?" Beth demanded. "I only just met you and my whole life is in your hands."

Daryl blanched, looking very much like she had physically hit him. He frowned at her, his voice dropping to a low growl. "I ain't never laid a hand on a woman, not gonna start now just because she doesn't know when to mind her business."

They had stopped walking and were facing each other awkwardly, having this confrontation on a nearly deserted street. Daryl was barely managing to conceal his anger, battling it into a less frightening simmer. Beth was staring right back though her stare was somewhat more contemplative.

"You're right, it's not my business," she offered, watching his reaction closely and standing very still. In some respects Daryl reminded her of a wild animal, predisposed to consider everything a threat until he knew better.

He twitched his shoulders. "I shouldn't bark at you." It wasn't exactly an apology but it was better than nothing.

Beth nodded and started walking again. There was a tiny lapse and then Daryl was at her side again, eyes back to scanning the area for danger, instead of trying to unnerve her.

"I just... don't like talkin' about my brother," Daryl said unexpectedly. To Beth he actually sounded timid and uncertain. His statement roused Beth's curiosity but she didn't push. Daryl was still too mistrustful of her to share anything as personal as the situation with his brother. Beth could already tell that it was complicated and he had mixed feelings where he was concerned.

"Alright," Beth acknowledged simply.

"How's your research going?" Daryl asked in a heavy handed attempt to change the subject. Beth quirked an eyebrow at the effort but he didn't see.

She released an extended sigh. "I think I've found all I can."

Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. "I can talk to Rick, Agent Grimes, about maybe scrounging up a file or two 'bout him. Won't be anything too important, mind. But it'll still be somethin'."

If Beth knew Daryl better, she might have hugged him for the genuine offer. But she had a suspicion he was likely to try and take her arms off if she had.

"That would be nice," Beth said breathlessly. Daryl merely grunted and forsook the conversation entirely from that point on. Beth was thrown. Was it possible that Agent Daryl Dixon might actually be a nice person somewhere under all the rough surfaces and sharp edges?

AN: I've started writing longer chapters because who needs sleep. I intended to update yesterday but, I wrote a Thranduil one-shot to get it out of my system. If you're hobbit inclined, please check it out. So Daryl and Beth are starting to speak the same language. And Daryl is starting to care. He hides it well but we all know, don't we guys. Review, if you would be so kind.