AN: I am sooo sorry I am a week behind on posting a new chapter! I know I said I would update regularly but a LOT of things happened in the last week. I ended up helping my in laws while my husband was out of town, lost a fur baby to liver disease, and had a hellish week at work. Needless to say, as everyone tells me, my life is FAR from boring! As an apology I plan on getting 11 up by tomorrow!

And before we get any further into this, thank you to those who reviewed last chapter! 2carlaa, Trixieviv, Suzisnowflake, 2 lazy 2 sign in (hehe) heartherrk, DarylDixon'sLover, K, .75, lauraleeto, Carowen, and one really sweet PM from ThespianReveur that I never got a chance to respond to (I am soooo sorry!)

That being said… on with the show… literally.

Chapter 10

Morning came quicker than he anticipated. He woke and got himself ready for the day before heading over to see Michonne. They agreed that he would head over to the club around five as previously discussed. She dismissed him for the morning to do whatever he needed to get done until then so he chose to clean his gun. He could only imagine Merle didn't put it away properly and he was right when he pulled the barrel out and his fingers were black. He took his time cleaning the weapon until the damn thing looked brand new. As he put it back together the phone in the condo, one he didn't know was even there, rang.

He followed the sounds until he found it and pushed the talk button to answer.

"Hello?"

"Dixon." Daryl recognized Rick's voice immediately.

"Yeah."

"Just wanted to give you a heads up. I got a call this morning from one of my friends in local PD. Someone tipped them off that Zach was in town." Daryl groaned.

"Who'd do that?"

"Bitter ex-girlfriend I would guess. Doesn't matter. Just keep a sharp eye out tonight." Rick abruptly hung up the phone. Daryl dropped it back in his holder and grabbed at his hair in frustration. Now he was worried. If that little shit showed up tonight he didn't think he could hand him over unharmed.

Five o'clock rolled around and Daryl pulled the 2011 Dodge Charger into the parking lot of the club. He had been surprised he when he went down to the garage and saw it parked next to Michonne's sedan. He had been expecting some sort of town car, not something with a little more horsepower. He had no qualms about opening it up on the few barren streets he came across with a smirk. As he exited the car he tossed down his cigarette and locked it behind him as he headed into the club. Tyreese greeted him at the back door with a warm handshake.

"I have a feeling you're a man of business so we'll skip the pleasantries. The band is there waiting to speak to you." Tyreese pointed over his shoulder to the three men lounging on the small couch. Daryl nodded his appreciation and stepped past him to walk to the men. In the few steps it took to reach them he appraised their appearances. They didn't look like rockers, but more… what was the word? He wasn't sure but they wore tight jeans that left barely anything to the imagination and vintage t-shirts with unheard band names printed on them. They didn't look like they could harm a cat if it was threatening their lives. They almost made him want to laugh if the situation had been any different.

The three men looked up as he approached and stood quickly. They were all shorter than Daryl, he noticed immediately. He'd expected them to look smug. Instead he was surprised by the indifference they seemed to exude.

"I'm John." The one in the middle spoke first. Pointing to his left, he continued, "This is Sam and that's Alex." The two other men nodded at Daryl as their names were said.

"Daryl." He responded curtly. "I don't give a damn about how ya prepped for the show and if ya know the girl's music. Ain't my job. I need to make sure the girl is safe while she's preforming here." John looked confused.

"What do you need from us then?" Daryl continued to regard them.

"Any of you know this kid?" He asked pulling a picture from his pocket. John took the photo and passed it around to the other two men. They looked over it for a moment and handed it back to him. Sam and Alex exchanged a glance.

"Pretty sure we've seen him around. Been a long time though." Alex responded.

"Ya see him tonight, let me know." Daryl pocketed the photo and began to walk away. Tyreese was waiting for him where he left him. "I need to meet with the bouncer and the bartenders tonight as well. Anyone that will be working the show." Daryl demanded. Tyreese nodded and gathered up his staff. Daryl look a quick look around again while he was waiting on them to group together in front of the stage. Nothing seemed to have changed and all concerns and safe points from yesterday were still there today, not that he was surprised.

Tyreese introduced two bartenders, some sound guy, and a larger man which Daryl recognized as the bouncer by his build. Daryl handed the picture to him first.

"This kid is after Beth. He's dangerous so remember his face. If ya see em' let me know. The kid burnt down my friend's bar back in Kentucky because she was in there. Don't underestimate him." The staff glanced around nervously at each other and passed around the photo again, each one committing the face to memory. He was thankful they were taking the kid seriously. They handed it back to him and went back to their work. Daryl pulled out his cell phone and punched Michonne's number. She answered quickly.

"Everything ready?"

"Yeah."

"We'll be there shortly." He flipped the phone closed and shoved it back in his pocket. Daryl noticed Tyreese staring at him from a few feet away looking as if he wanted to talk to him. Daryl sighed and headed over to him.

"I normally have more people working an event but Michonne said it wouldn't be needed." Daryl shrugged his shoulders and rested his arms on the bar. "Can I get ya a beer?" He offered. Daryl thought about it for a second and accepted. One beer wouldn't hurt. Tyreese nodded to the kid working the bar which he understood and slid an open bottle Daryl's way. He took a quick draw of the bitter liquid and looked up over the bar at the nameless faces in frames that stared back at him. "So, you're from Kentucky?"

"Nah. Lived up there for a few years. From here though." Daryl answered not really wanting to disclose more of himself to someone else he didn't know. He'd been doing enough of that recently. Tyreese seemed to get the hint and just nodded.

"Well, I need to get in the back and finish getting ready. Here." Tyreese held a small key out to Daryl who looked at it questioningly. "It's the key to the back. It'll be locked by six. In case you need to step out or something." Daryl pocketed the key and muttered a small thanks before the man walked away leaving Daryl at the bar with his beer.

Not long after he'd taken the last sip he heard familiar voices coming from the back of the club. Beth, Michonne, and Glenn walked out from behind the stage. They spoke to each other in hushed voices and Daryl pushed himself off the bar to go to them. He couldn't help but notice the look on Beth's face. She looked just like she did a few nights ago when she walked into that parlor. She looked confident and strong, almost frightening in a way. He decided to address Michonne first.

"Got a key to the back. Tyreese is locking it up at six and the staff knows his face. If he shows up we'll know." She nodded at him and looked back at Beth.

"You and Glenn go meet with the band and get the lighting situated." Glenn nodded and pulled Beth to the back of the stage. Daryl couldn't help but notice the way her eyes seemed to stay on him as she walked away and he suddenly felt like a lab specimen. He tried not to shift uncomfortably as she stepped in the back. When he looked back at Michonne she had an amused look on her face.

"I'm sure Rick told you to keep this professional." It sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

"Don't know what you're talkin' about." He muttered and walked off. Neither of them had a lot to do while Beth was preparing to go on stage so Daryl hung out in the back behind the club and smoked several cigarettes to pass the time. Occasionally Glenn would come out and talk to him but it had never been about much, just to give him updates on when he would be needed. As seven thirty drew closer he decided to head back inside.

As he unlocked the door and closed it back behind him he caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye. She looked stunning and simple all at the same time and his attention was suddenly diverted from making sure the door was locked back tight to fully staring at her. She was singing softly to herself as she put the finishing touches on her eye makeup. She knew he was there but she wasn't acknowledging him. She seemed to be in her own world where everything else seemed to fade to black and all that mattered was what she was about to do. Go on stage and preform in front of people that came to see her. He leaned back up against the door and listened to her voice while taking in her 'stage' look for the first time.

She was wearing tight jeans with small sneakers. Her top was a simple black tank with a red rose on the side. As she stood on her tip toes to get closer to the mirror he could see the top of her tattoo in the reflection of the mirror and his stomach clenched at just how low the jeans were. Her hair was in a ponytail that was pulled to the side and curled on the ends. Her make-up was modest, nothing at all like what he was expecting. He'd been to a few shows when he was younger and the female artists always seemed to cake on their make-up to cover years of drug abuse and nicotine but she didn't need it. She looked like she was going on a date, not go on stage.

Daryl didn't seem to notice that her heavenly voice had gone quiet or that she had finally acknowledge him in his reflection in her mirror. He could feel his face heat up quickly and he looked away to hide him embarrassment. "Bout ready?" He asked.

"Yep. Do you know how many people are coming tonight?" Daryl cursed himself for not thinking to ask Tyreese how many tickets or whatever were sold.

"It's a small place. Ty said about two hundred people." Michonne answered from out of nowhere. She walked up to Beth and played with the braid in her ponytail. "You look amazing. The band is about to start warming up the crowd and everything is under control out there. Daryl and I are going to be on both sides of the stage so there's nothing to worry about." Beth smiled warmly at Michonne and hugged her tight.

"Thank you both." Daryl heard the sounds of the bass guitar being tuned and the drums pitching. A few minutes later Tyreese's voice out through the speakers thanking everyone for attending tonight. The crowd roared their appreciation in response. He introduced John, Alex, and Sam to the audience and they started playing riffs and clips of songs that the people seemed to enjoy. Beth paced a little as Tyreese could be heard again introducing Beth to the stage. Daryl moved away from the back door and took the stairs to the left of the stage while Michonne and Beth went right. Their eyes met as she moved out before the crowd and Daryl found he couldn't take his eyes off of her. The lighting made her hair seem to glow and her face was alive with joy. There was no fear or concern like he might have expected. It was then that he realized she was made for this, to sing for people and make them happy.

The band began to play a simple, very delicate song he'd never heard before and her voice carried over everyone in the building.

"Let go of Julie and take my hand

Let go, it's time to be my man

Let go of Julie and kiss my face

She's standing, she is standing in my place

I'm not normally the jealous, jealous type

But I imagined it'd be you and me tonight

I bet Julie's really smart, oh you keep saying she's so cool

But if you pick her over me you're just a fool"

Daryl's mouth quirked at the unusual lyrics and more so at how the audience tried to sing the chorus along with her. The more they got into the song, he could see the more she enjoyed it. She moved along the stage gracefully danced as she sang. He also couldn't help but notice as she sang "I'm not normally the jealous, jealous sort. But if we're picking favorites I am yours" she turned back and looked over at him standing there beside the stage.

Daryl instantly felt his mouth go dry when she winked at him and turned back to the people before her. It was in that moment he knew, even if they caught that little shit tonight or tomorrow, he wasn't going anywhere. He would selfishly torture himself every single day if it meant that he got to watch her like this and feel the stirring in places he'd long since used. He would train himself to appreciate from afar and keep her safe at all costs.

His eyes cast down and then out to the audience as he cursed himself for developing feelings for this girl. No, this woman. How the hell did this happen?

AN: I couldn't help but use EK's Julie for this one. I don't know why but I thought it would be fun. Hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a review and let me know! Until tomorrow lovelies!