I don't own the Walking Dead or characters, seriously. Instead, there is fanfiction. Fanfiction is love. Fanfiction is life. Repeat after me...

Blackbird Singing

Chapter 10

The big day was here: Friday.

Beth had found it hard to concentrate at work. She was mobile enough with her crutches now that she could help out with smaller errands for her boss besides desk work. She enjoyed being able to move and be an asset again. However, today had been an exception of looking at the clock and practically begging for it to be 5.

When she was finally able to leave, she was changing clothes as fast as possible, having picked out her dress the night before after what felt like hours of careful consideration. It was a simple maxi, pale pink with spaghetti straps and an empire waist, the material gauzy and breezy. A slit up the side helped with the cast issue, making it easy enough for her to use her crutches.

She decided to spend her time putting on makeup and doing her hair. She attempted to to curl her blonde tresses so that it would cascade in waves around her. Makeup was carefully applied: foundation, liquid eyeliner, mascara, blush, highlighter and contouring...Beth felt a bit like a movie star when she finished off the look with a bold lipstick.

To pass the time, she transferred key items from her purse to a small clutch that her sister had gotten for her the previous Christmas. It was a little gaudy for Beth's tastes, but Maggie had meant well enough and Beth was always grateful for any gifts she received.

After hair spraying her hair in place once more and making sure her breath was fresh, there was a knock at her door. She answered it and her jaw nearly dropped.

Rick was at the door, holding a bouquet of roses, and looking particularly handsome. He wore a dark, charcoal gray suit that fit him just right. His shirt was a cream color with very subtle purple plaid across it, and a thin blue tie that completed the outfit. His hair, curly, was slicked back, with just enough stubble that had Beth aching to feel its roughness on her skin again.

His smile was dazzling and she felt her heart skip a beat, almost painfully tightening afterwards.

"Good evening." His voice was low, deep, with just that bit of roughness she liked. He must have taken a nap as he had got shafted with an emergency overnight situation on Thursday. However, his stare at her was primal, and she felt the warmth pool low in her. "You look so beautiful."

"Please, come in." She used her crutches to maneuver to the kitchen for her vase.

"Beth, don't trouble yourself, I can get these in water for you," he said once he saw what she was grabbing. He gently, but firmly took the vase from her. He quickly filled the vase with water before putting the roses in it and setting it on the counter. "By the way, these are for you." He winked.

"They're beautiful." She inhaled the scent. They were like a fine tea, light and fragrant. "And they smell amazing. Thank you. You didn't have to get me anything."

His hand skimmed along her shoulder and down her arm until he took hold of her hand. "Beth…" His voice forced her to look at him and stare into his eyes, brilliant and clear like the skies above, intense and piercing. "I want to make this special. I want to do right by you, so please let me be a gentleman for you."

That painful tightening in her heart came back a moment, making her breath hitch, and she was afraid to identify what it was, because she shouldn't be feeling such things for a man that she had known only a few months and recently become romantically attached to.

"You already are, Rick."

And then they were ready to go.

The ride to the restaurant was mostly quiet and simple. Rick helped Beth into his pickup truck, having made the leg room more spacious for her ahead of time so she could easily get in and out. It was a pleasant drive, the air outside hot, but not muggy, so they rolled the windows down and enjoyed the breeze and sights of rural small-town Georgia.

The Brickhouse was in old downtown King County, which had attempts at revitalization, but wasn't necessarily bustling. Downtown, the town was all brick and cobblestones, busy on weekend nights, but not much during the day or the week. Yearly, there were certain events that would shut down a block or two, especially in the summertime, and it was such things that kept businesses going.

In fact, Beth had attended the Roughrider Days that ran from mid-June up to the July 4th weekend, and Alive at 5 on Thursdays were interesting. That involved local vendors setting up shop along the blocked off pavement, bartending, pictures, and usually a local band singing, or the dance academy showing off their skills. Many times, Tara and Amy had begged Beth to sing, but each time she refused, still afraid she might mess up. She loved to sing, but in front of a crowd of people, it was still a different thing, even though that night at the Final Go Round had showed her tremendous support and applause for her gift.

Tonight, they had to park a few blocks away, and Rick made sure to open Beth's door for her and assist her out onto the sidewalk. He stayed close to her, mindful that she wouldn't stay close to the street and she felt more like a bodyguard was escorting her at one point, until she caught his gaze and it made her cheeks bloom with color. There were people, locals, that caught sight of them, and would whisper to each other.

"Look, there's Rick."

"Who's he with?"

"That Beth?"

"Oh my gosh, isn't he old enough to be her dad?"

"Should have known...maybe that's why Lori left him. He's a degenerate or sumthin."

"I bet she seduced him. Rick is too nice."

"Little hussy." "The nerve." "Wait til Lori hears." "Can you believe it?"

The sounds died when Rick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, holding the door open for her that led into the restaurant. She smiled at him, the gossip becoming nothing but white noise, barely that even. They were in a quiet place, dark with candle lit table tops for ambient lighting. Jazz music played in the background, loud enough to add to the atmosphere, but still quiet enough that couples could talk in low voices without worry.

The hostess at the front smiled warmly at them. "Welcome. Did you have a reservation?" When they came in view of the lamp that illuminated the stand, her smiled widened as she recognized them. "Oh! Rick! Hi!" She was an older woman, slim, with gray hair and bright, blue eyes. "Should have known it'd be you. And this must be the new girl I've been hearing about around town. Beth, right? I'm Carol. Let me take you to your table."

They were given a table towards a back corner, away from the kitchen and relatively isolated. Rick helped Beth into her seat, propping her crutches within easy reach on the wall behind her before seating himself, Carol handing them their menus once they were settled.

"Your server will be with you in just a moment." Carol then bent down, whispering something to Rick, and all Beth could catch was, "so happy." Then, she was gone.

Rick looked at Beth, smile on his face.

"What?" she asked, slightly self conscious, slightly flirtatious. Butterflies were strong in her stomach, as he reached out to grab a hand of hers. His touch was comforting. "You look like you might have a secret."

"Carol had a little girl. Named Sophia. Her and Carl used to be friends," he started, voice low so only she could hear. "They used to live next door to us. But her husband was a bit of a drunk, bit of an abuser, one of those things you turned a blind eye towards cause it never got too serious. And then, about five years back, they get into a car accident. Her husband Ed, was buzzed driving. Killed both him and Sophia on impact and Carol barely survived.

"When she was better, she sold the house, got an apartment...works here full time now." His hand gripped hers a little tighter. "And the reason I'm telling you this is cause Carol is a woman I respect and have known for a while, and her telling me just now that she's never seen me look so happy in her entire life means a lot. She told me that you're a beautiful woman and we're beautiful together and she's happy for me. That means a lot to me, coming from someone that went through so much pain to...still see things like that."

Beth's breath caught in her throat and tears sprung to her eyes, but didn't fall.

What was she doing here, with this man?

Was she going to make him happy the rest of his life? Because, she felt she needed to answer that. She knew things with Rick would most likely be serious fast. He was older, divorced, and with a kid. He didn't have time to mess around, and she was in the boat of wanting to find someone to be with and maybe share her life with, but it was so sudden that she wasn't sure if that was right. It wasn't that her feelings didn't feel right, but she was afraid of what others might think.

What would her Daddy say?

But then she realized that it didn't matter what first reactions were. Her father, after his 1st wife passed (Maggie's mother), had married again, this time with a considerable age difference (Beth's mother). And honestly, it was no one's damn business what happened between Beth and Rick. They weren't hurting anyone. Was it so wrong to try and find happiness?

Was it so wrong she was probably falling in love?

Or was it that she was already in love?

That question was what caused the tightness in her throat, the breathlessness when he said certain things, and made her wonder if she was right for him. Was it just infatuation, though? Was it the fact that Rick was the most honest, thoughtful, amazing, and kind man she'd ever been with that made her feel this way? Or was it something more? The conflicting emotions, feelings, and questions were almost overwhelming for her.

"Oh Beth, I didn't mean to upset you." He reached across the table, hand gently cupping her face, and she knew then that things with Rick weren't just an infatuation that might fizzle out in a few months. His blue eyes were full of concern, concern for no one in the world but her, and that had her feeling like the most important and wanted woman in the world. "You okay?"

No, things with Rick were probably going to last for far longer.

"I'm fine." Her words came out a little shaky, but she took a deep, calming breath, and took hold of his hands. "I'm just fine."

"Good evening. My name is Antonio and I'll be your server."

Beth and Rick laughed.

Two hours later they left the Brickhouse, full and feeling amazing. Even though their main dishes had been more than enough, they still went all out and split the Nutella creme brulee. They spent their entire time talking to each other, lost in their own world, and their server would wordlessly refill the water glasses and drifted in and out whenever necessary.

Beth told Rick about the time when she was nine years old and had fallen off a runaway horse, breaking her arm for the summer and stuck learning how to bake and garden instead of ride or go to summer camp, because she wasn't supposed to be riding by herself in the first place. Her older sister Maggie had gloated endlessly about being able to attend summer camp, but became jealous upon later finding out that Beth had helped their father with the vet business and learned to drive stick shift. Maggie had instead come back with a wicked case of poison ivy.

Rick told the story of one from his high school days. He and Shane loved to pull pranks on the teachers and had the perfect idea to wreck havoc on the lounge. Having just learned about potassium and its effects when coming into contact with water, they broke into the science teacher's supply closet, taking all the potassium available. They had then put the potassium into a container that would take time for water to come in contact with the element, put it in the toilet that was in the lounge, and left. Thankfully, no one had ever found out it was Shane and Rick that pulled the prank, because the potassium blew up, destroying the toilet and entire bathroom. It was shut down for the rest of the school year until repairs could be made.

After they had told a few stories, they went on to a small game that let them get to know each other: two truths and a lie, where they told three things about themselves, but one was false. It was fun to guess that Beth had her upper ear pierced in college, but had never actually had a speeding ticket, or that Rick never smoked, but the Paranormal Activity movies scared him to no end and he had slept with the lights on the first night he watched one.

Rick drove them out along some back country roads after they were finished with their meal at the Brickhouse, giving Beth a tour of rural King County, one she had never had the chance to take. Then, before she knew what she was doing, her hand was sliding up along his pants, and he was pulling over the side of the road where there was a grove of trees, stopping and turning off the vehicle as soon as possible. He unbuckled his seat belt, and kissed her hungrily and she felt the spark running through her fast and hard.

"I've wanted to touch you all evening," he admitted as his hands roamed about her body. One hand fisted into her blonde hair, while the other traveled down the length of her body. She felt dizzy with desire. "I want to taste you."

"Do what you need to do, Rick," she gasped. She kissed him back, biting his lip, and the groan he released was all the more sexy with the wild look in his eyes. "Do what you want."

He backed away from her suddenly and left his vehicle. Beth was extremely confused, until he came around to her side, opening her door and the rear door to form a partition. He positioned her so that her good leg would have to bend for support, but the leg in her cast was comfortable and she was propped across the seats and able to lean on her elbows.

"You are so beautiful," he said.

He was then kissing her again, long and exploring of her teeth, lips, and tongue. His hands were on her dress, teasing and hot through the fabric down to her skin. She felt herself go wet with need, thighs trembling as his fingers skimmed along her legs, teasing.

She grabbed at him, urging him to take his jacket off, and they tossed it to the ground. Her hands tugged gently at his hair as he pulled up her dress so that it hiked around her waist, and his breath was hot on her panties as he kissed her thighs. Her head rolled back as she moaned, Rick's mouth on her mound, hot and heavy through the fabric that was blocking his goal.

His fingers then hooked into the elastic of her underwear, pulling them down, but then found he couldn't get them off without some general issues.

"Fuck it," he muttered, before tearing them off her in one, clean motion.

Her hips bucked at the motion, and before she could say anything, his mouth was on her clit, tongue pressing and swirling against her in a way she didn't think was possible. She moaned loudly, clutching to the seat, hand grabbing hold of the stick shift as she struggled to not grind up into Rick's talented tongue.

He continued to taste her, thumb stroking at her clit while his tongue probed deeper into her, sending electric shocks of pleasure down Beth's body. Her legs trembled with orgasmic anticipation while her body took on a light sheen of sweat. She felt the buildup starting, low and oh so pleasurable on its own. She was happy to ride out whatever sensations he was bringing her, caught up in the euphoria of it all.

He leaned into her more so that he could reach up and grab her breasts with one hand, the other still working her pussy perfectly. He switched things so that two fingers were pumping in and out of her, while his mouth worked relentlessly at her clit, and it had her feeling so high she could have screamed at how good it felt. Beth had always been a girl that was more appreciative of foreplay, having found out a while ago that a dick did not equal an automatic good time. She had never dated a man that was not only good at foreplay, but also liked it. It was appreciated that Rick had a special knack for going down on her that he seemed to enjoy providing without any reservations.

"Rick," she panted. Her fingers tugged on the curls of his hair while her hips shifted upwards. "Rick!"

"Cum for me," he whispered, and then he sucked on her clit, hard enough to bring forth that blurred line of pleasure/pain.

The trembling in her came full force as she finally felt herself spiral out of control a few minutes later, color flashing brilliantly in the blackness as her eyes closed at the onslaught of her orgasm. She felt a rush of wetness flow out, Rick lapping at it between her legs, looking up at her intently as he did so.

It was several moments until Beth caught her breath, legs collapsing on the seat without any grace, spent. Slowly, Rick detached himself from her, and grabbed his suit jacket, throwing it into the backseat of the pickup, and wiped at his face with his hand to clean off the rest of the juices that had come to rest on his graying whiskers. Carefully, he arranged her dress so she wouldn't be bared for the world, closing the rear passenger door after doing so.

Beth sat up suddenly, when she realized he wasn't unbuckling his pants. She had always learned with men that if they did that to her, it was expected she reciprocate the action. "Wait, Rick. What about you?"

"Oh no, I'm good." He smiled at her, big and genuine. She arched an eyebrow, confused. "Honestly, I am. I don't think you realize how fun it is to do that…" He kneaded at the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. "I mean, it's nice when...when the other person is enjoying themselves. And just cause I did that doesn't always mean I want something back. I like...pleasuring you, Beth."

Beth felt her cheeks go red.

"I've never been with a man that's done that before," she confessed. She sat up straighter so she could look Rick in the eye. He had placed his hands on the top of the cab, arms above his head so that he could lean into her some. There was nothing but warmth and affection for her showing in his oh so blue eyes. "I'm just not sure how things should go with you, I guess."

Admitting the insecurity over the unknown was a little relieving, especially when Rick didn't laugh or mock her in any way.

"Things go however you want," he said, voice a little lower than normal. He swallowed. "I'm here for however long you'll have me."

She pulled him in for a kiss that was light and quick, but meaningful.

"I'll be having you for quite a while then."

Author Note: I am so sorry this took so long! I ran into a bit of a writer's block. I was also dealing with review at work. Good news is, I'm not fired, doing awesome, and get that yearly bonus, just in time for vacay! Yay! However, it totally threw me off my groove, gross. I hope the Carol bit wasn't too awkward? It felt a little awkward, but I'm too tired to change it and I am sorry, dear reader. 5 AM workouts SUCK yo (why do I do this to myself?!)! So, I have only just finished this chapter and barely started 11. I'm behind, I'm sorry. So, if this isn't enough, go on and read my other fic (it's Bethyl!), When You Care, and that's like...a lot of reading bwahaha - leaving tomorrow! I hope this tides y'all over until I get back next week, where I'll be like...SUPER TAN and SUPER FAT from all the tasty food and drinking I'll be doing. Trying to throw some more smut in there to help out until Beth's leg heals. I'm sorry, but I personally wouldn't want to have sex for the first time with a certain Rick Grimes until my leg healed, just saying. I mean, I was a bit of a lover back in the day, but even I have self standards (though I found out guys really don't care if you haven't shaved your legs in a while. they'll still go for it). Any issues? Please let me know! I'm hoping for some Carl interaction soon, some issues with Lori, and maybe Rick pushing Beth to start singing!

Stupid Side Note: Places like the Brickhouse, Final Go Round, and events like Roughrider Days...in case you haven't guessed, I'm working with familiarity for a fictional town. Those places/events are either places located where I live now, or in my hometown and no longer exist cause they blew up (seriously). So, if you're a stalker, you'd know where I live? That's spoopy!