As always, your response to this story just keeps blowing me away. Thank you so, so much for all of your kind words and reviews. I have decided to focus on this story for the time being. It got away from me for a while and I don't want that to happen again. I want to concentrate on only one story at a time for the time being.

The next chapter will jump ahead to apple harvest time.

…

Chapter Ten.

It's only September and they aren't leaving until the first week of November but Beth begins to pack up some things. She starts in her bedroom in the farmhouse. Otis had gotten one of the trunks down from the attic and Beth begins going through the things that she has had for most of her life. Books and a few stuffed animals and photographs and a small jewelry box on her dresser though she hasn't worn any of that jewelry in months.

She isn't sure what to take. She doesn't know what she will need in California or what she'll miss if she doesn't have it with her because living in the cabin with Daryl is different. If she needs something from her room, she can just walk up the hill and get it. Once she and Daryl move to California though, she will have to have everything she needs already with her.

She knows what Daryl has said to her daddy but there is a part of her that doesn't really believe it. It's not that she thinks Daryl is a liar. Not at all. She wouldn't have fallen in love with and married a man who lies. But Beth just seems to know that once they leave for California, they won't be coming back to Georgia.

…

She knows he loves her hair and she knows that he loves it when she wears it down. The few times she has worn it up since their wedding, he always stares at it for a moment as if he's never seen anything like it before.

He kisses her every morning after breakfast, after he pulls on and ties his boots, and before he leaves the cabin to begin his long day of work. He goes to her and she smiles up at him and his lips always turn upwards in that little way of his. His hand goes to the back of her head and she's learned that he loves slipping his fingers through her hair. He kisses her and she hasn't figured it out yet how he can kiss her so soft but hungry at the same time. All she does know is when her husband kisses her, she feels it everywhere. In her chest and stomach and the tips of her fingers and toes, in her knees and in every single nerve her body housed.

Most mornings, when he kisses her, it is able to stay nothing more than a firm peck and it is able to hold her over until the evening when they are reunited in their home again.

But other mornings, he kisses her and her fingers curl into his shirt and she doesn't want him to walk out the door. Instead, she hears herself whimper softly and all she wants to do is have him take her back to bed. She, sometimes, will drop her hands and push the edge of his tee-shirt up just so she can feel the skin of his hips and she feels him smirk against her lips.

Those are the days that when he comes home working all day and comes back to the cabin, she is in the kitchen, fixing dinner, but she races to him and she doesn't even let him go to the bathroom to clean up first before she's kissing him and pulling him towards the bed.

"You've made me addicted to this," she pants against his lips.

"There are worse things to be addicted to," he murmurs against hers as his hands slide up her thighs and she knows he's tired and sweaty but he never tells her they can't do this.

It seems he's just as addicted as she is.

…

They go to town one night to see Meet Me in St. Louis even though Beth has already seen it three times and Daryl isn't a large lover of musicals.

He buys them popcorn and a bottle of Coke and they sit in the back row where Beth hums along to every song on the screen and she can feel Daryl looking at her occasionally, a small smile twitching at his lips. Somewhere, near the end of the picture, his hand slowly moves towards hers and his knuckles brush along hers, his fingers lightly – almost hesitantly – sliding along hers. She turns her head and smiles faintly at him and he smiles, too, and he stops acting as if he has no right to hold her hand; as if he's a man taking her out on their first date and not already married.

Daryl takes hold of her hand and Beth intertwines their fingers together, shifting in her seat closer to him.

And after the lights come up and they leave the theater and step into the warm night, Daryl doesn't let go of her hand. He holds it tightly and Beth can't stop smiling.

"I wonder how it will be seeing a movie in California," she says suddenly.

Daryl looks to her. "Think it'll be different?" He asks.

"I don't know," she smiles and shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. But we're moving to where the movies are actually made. Maybe the air will feel different or something," she laughs then and Daryl's lips twitch a little.

"Think you'll be a movie star out there?" He asks.

"Me?" She laughs again.

"Why not?" He gives a shrug. "Prettiest girl I've ever seen."

Beth feels her cheeks warm as if he's never given her a compliment before. "Being pretty and having talent are two different things."

He looks at her as they stop beside the truck and he pulls open the passenger door for her but Beth doesn't get into the truck and she stands there, looking at the way Daryl is frowning at her. Her smile fades a little.

"What?" She wonders.

"Got more talent in your pinkie finger than every other girl out there," he tells her in his low voice and she looks at him because there hasn't even been a second that she pictured herself going out to California and trying to become famous.

All when she thinks about when she thinks about California is going out there and starting a life with her husband. Nothing matters more to her than that – her and Daryl making a life they share together. He's going to pick oranges and she's going to make their home and they're going to be together and that's all she needs.

"You know you could be the next Judy Garland if that's what you wan'," Daryl tells her.

Her blush returns and she smiles as she shakes her head slightly. "I just want to be Beth Dixon. That's all I want."

He actually smiles at that. "You're the best thing to ever happen to the Dixon name."

She laughs at that and her chest feels light and she leans into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, feeling his hands slide over her hips.

"Just wait until we have children," she smiles, teasing though deep down, she knows she's not joking at all, and Daryl must know that and she feels his entire body instantly tense.

…

His eyes are closed but Beth knows he's not asleep.

She lays on her side as he lays on his back and the fan blows on them but it does little to break through the heavy heat hanging in the air that night. She doesn't know how long she's been watching him but she can't help herself and she slowly reaches a hand out, fingertips lightly touching the dog tags resting on his chest.

He finally opens his eyes and looks at her but doesn't say anything.

She speaks quietly. "Do you want to have a baby?" She asks him.

"Not right this second," he responds honestly and she really does love that she married such an honest man but she's still getting used to just how blunt it is.

"But someday?" She asks, almost hesitantly, and she wonders why this topic hasn't been breached before. She's always wanted to be a mother and she guesses she just assumed that Daryl wouldn't mind being a father.

Daryl's quiet – too quiet for too long – and she stares at him with a lump in her throat.

"Someday," he then grunts.

She feels like she can breathe again.

"I'll make a shit dad," he then adds, his eyes closing again.

Beth looks at him for another moment and then, even though it's too hot, she moves in close to him, and closing her eyes, she rests her forehead against his temple. Her arm slides over his stomach and she hugs him.

"You're nothing like your dad, Daryl," she whispers to him.

And his eyes are closed but his hand finds her arm over his middle and he gives it a squeeze. Beth smiles faintly and settles her head on his shoulder and within minutes, this time, they both fall asleep.

…

After church service on Sunday, they return home and go into the farmhouse to have lunch with her parents. Nothing fancy this week. Just ham sandwiches, potato salad and fresh iced tea. They eat in the kitchen and during the meal, Annette leaves for a moment and returns with a box wrapped in brown paper.

"This is a late wedding present from your father and I," Annette smiles as she holds it out for Beth to take.

"Mom…" Beth hesitates for a moment before taking it and looking at Daryl. He sits beside her, sipping his iced tea, watching her as she slowly begins to pull at the paper.

Inside, is a box and she lifts the lid, her lips parting when she sees what it is. She lifts her eyes and looks at her mom and then her daddy and they are both smiling at her. She then looks to Daryl and gives him a smile. She then pulls the silver picture frame from within the box and holds it up so Daryl can see the black and white picture within, taken on the day of their wedding, right outside the church after the ceremony.

"Our wedding picture," Beth smiles widely.

Daryl takes it from her, holding it in his hands, looking at it with a small smile.

"This will be the first thing we hang in our new home," Beth tells her parents.

"You getting everything set to move to California?" Hershel asks.

"Yes, sir," Daryl gives a head nod. "My friend, Shane, is already out there. He's gotten a job with the orchards Sunkist owns. I hope to get a job at the same orchards."

"Oh, Sunkist," Annette smiles at that. "They have a recipe for a cake I have always wanted to try. Do you think you'll get free Sunkist?" She asks.

"If we do, we'll send you some. I promise," Beth smiles at her.

Annette looks at her and she's smiling but there are tears in her eyes and seeing her mother about to start crying, Beth feels her own eyes welling with tears. Annette reaches a hand out and cups her cheek.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Bethy," Annette says to her and Beth doesn't trust her own voice so all she does is nod her head quickly and Annette leans over in her chair and Beth leans over in hers and they hug one another tightly.

Beth tries not to think about how scared she is to move to California. She tells herself that she's excited because a large part of her is and she's ready for this next chapter of her life to begin. She focuses on that – she has to – rather than how scared she is and how much she's going to miss her parents and how when she thinks about it, she just wants to cry.

…

She moans softly as he fills her again and again and it's too hot to do this but the summer heat hasn't stopped them yet. She wraps her legs around his waist and holds onto him tight as his thrusts only speed up, him grunting in her ear with each snap of his hips against hers.

And when her back arches sharply and she cries out his name, all of her tightening around him, Daryl isn't too far behind and he groans and empties himself inside of her.

They lay there for a few seconds, their skin stuck together with sweat, and slowly, Daryl begins to pull himself away and Beth bites her lip so she doesn't whimper at the loss of him no longer being inside of her. He collapses on his back beside her and both of them are still breathing heavily, their chests panting up and down.

"Shane was tellin' me. A lot of the workers live in these little houses the orchard owns. Prob'ly no bigger than this," Daryl speaks quietly into the night.

"I can't wait to see it," Beth says softly in response and she means it. She's excited to see their new house and make it a home. She's never had a home of her own before. Not even this cabin counts as it's on her parents' farm and belongs to them.

"And if it's not good enough, we'll find an apartment somewhere," Daryl adds.

Beth rolls onto her side towards him. "It'll be good enough," she says with a firmness in her tone as if she already knows without a doubt in her mind. "I don't need that much, Daryl."

Daryl just smirks a little as if that's the funniest thing he's ever heard and doesn't say anything and Beth can't help but frown.

"I don't," she says. "I'm not some spoiled little girl."

Daryl quickly looks at her. "I know you ain't. All I meant was, you're used to livin' a certain way. Might be in for a shock when we get off your daddy's farm."

Beth stares at him for a moment, anger and sadness both rushing upwards, racing one another to see which one will be the first to reveal itself.

It's a mixture of both. Her words are hard but there is a sadness in her eyes and pressing down on her chest as she sits up, no longer able to keep her eyes on him.

"You think I'm weak," she said in a quiet, hard tone.

"I didn' say that, Beth," he sits up beside her.

"You didn't have to. It's pretty obvious what you think of me." She begins to climb from the bed but Daryl stops her, his fingers curling around her arm, and it's not a tight grip at all but it's enough to stop her movements.

"I don't think you're weak, Beth," he says, staring right into her eyes as if that will show her that he absolutely means it.

And Daryl Dixon doesn't lie.

Still, she's not an idiot. She may be sheltered and her life may have been easy up until this point but she knows what he thinks about her. Their lives have been so different. Growing up as poor as he had, being his dad's whipping boy for so long and then going off to war and fighting and getting shot at for three years. Beth doesn't know about any of that. Her parents hadn't even believed in spanking their children and the farm has always been a successful one and her life has been good and comfortable and safe. The worst thing to ever happen to her is when Shawn died but she thinks her brother dying made her a little stronger, too.

"I just mean… California ain't gonna be like it is here in Georgia," he says.

"I'm not weak," she repeats herself. "Or stupid. And I can't wait for us to get out there so I can finally show you all of that." She begins to try again to get out of bed but Daryl's hand tightens a bit more so she still can't leave.

"You don't gotta show me anythin'. I know you're tough and smart and you're the only person I would ever want comin' with me," Daryl tells her.

And Beth knows that he means it and yet, there's a part of herself that can't believe him.

…

She's been riding Nellie as much as she can before November. Usually each afternoon, she'll go into the barn and lead the horse out and ride her out to one of the far fields. Beth knows she's going to miss Nellie so much when she's gone and she doesn't know when she'll ever be able to ride a horse again.

Beth rubs her snout as Nellie chews a little on her hair. "I'm going to be happy," she tells the horse, as if the horse needs to know and be convinced of it. "I'm already happy. Most days, I didn't know it was possible to be this happy. And I love Daryl more than anything and… and I think he loves me. He hasn't said anything like that but… we are married, Nellie, and we're going to California together and some of the things he's said to me, a man can't say those kinds of things to a woman if he doesn't love her."

"Guess you're my north star then."

She's quiet for a moment and turns her head, looking back to the white farmhouse in the distance. She then looks up at the bright blue sky with the cotton ball puffs of clouds hanging overhead that day.

She knows California will have the same sky and the same clouds and the same sun but that's all it will have in common with Georgia and she does her best to blink the developing tears away. She doesn't want to cry. She can't cry. She has just told Daryl that she isn't weak and crying certainly isn't going to help her case.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes and keeps stroking Nellie. She can't wait to get out to California. Maybe once they get out there, they'll be able to truly start their life together and everything will set itself right.

…

Thank you very much for reading and please review!