A/N: Once again, I apologize for the long wait on this update!

This chappy is dedicated to BethylAddixon. All of her stories are amazing and if you haven't read them, you should! She is just an amazing sweetheart and she kindly put my fics 'Pleasure to Meet You, Mr. Dixon' and its sequel 'I Do, Mr. Dixon' in her a/n on her fic "The Journal"s latest update and I'm just so grateful. Gah, I just love her!

It also is dedicated to thequeenofshebasays. I fangirl over her and she tolerates it, she's also so incredibly kind to me. Thanks bae!

In other news, I feel like this is one of my favorite/best chapters to have ever written.

This is Shipper Satan speaking, welcome aboard the Bethyl Feels Train! Just know that with me behind the wheel, there ain't no brakes!

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter 12 –

Beth sighed as she stared at the clothes in her closet. She had been staring hopelessly at her options for the past ten minutes. She couldn't decide if she should dress casually or if she should aim for something more dressy for the spur date they were going on. She needed to pick something and quickly because she was down to fifteen minutes before her and Daryl were supposed to meet for breakfast. The blonde struggled to not think about how awkward and embarrassed she was feeling at the fact that he had heard her mumble or moan (she didn't know which one) in her sleep. With a sigh, Beth reached out and blindly grabbed a top out of her closet, keeping her eyes closed. The fabric of the top was soft, making Beth smile before opening her eyes and looking at the choice.

The top in her hand was a white and grey striped sweater that hung off of the shoulders. Fall was moving in and the morning was crisp so Beth felt that the sweater would keep her warm in the cooler air while also looking nice enough for what she was determining would be a casual breakfast date with Daryl Dixon. She worked quickly, pulling the sweater on along with her jeans and a pair of boots and taming her hair into a side braid before quickly leaving her small house and driving the short distance to the diner. Beth's heart hammered against her ribs and in her ears as she parked her car and she felt her cheeks warm when her eyes fell on Daryl.

The man was leaning against his truck that she was parked next to, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He was wearing a long sleeved flannel button up with a leather vest on over it and a pair of torn black jeans and boots. The blonde honestly thought he looked amazing, like he should be for breakfast instead of the waffles and bacon she was planning to eat inside the diner. Beth felt her blush deepen when their eyes met and a smirk crossed his lips as he pushed himself up and put out his cigarette. With a racing heart and sweaty palms, Beth unbuckled and grabbed her purse from the seat beside her as Daryl opened her car door and helped her out.

The two stared at each other for a moment and Beth felt the awkward silence deep in her gut. The man in front of her shifted slightly before clearing his throat.

"You look nice," he told her softly and Beth felt her embarrassment and awkwardness fall away.

"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself," she replied truthfully. Handsome is an understatement. Daryl snorted before turning and hesitantly reaching out to her, his hand finding her lower back and using a slight pressure to guide her closer to him and the two walked into the small diner.

The diner was quaint but the aromas of the food cooking made the couple's mouths water. It was a "pick your seat" type of place, so Daryl led the way to a booth in the corner, his callused hand sliding from her back to her hand and holding it as they walked the few feet to the booth. Beth stared at the white angel wings stitched into the back of his leather vest in awe of the design and couldn't help but think how well it fit the man in front of her. Daryl sat facing the door and Beth slid into the seat beside him, their hands still clasped and resting on Daryl's knee. Their waitress approached and took their drink and meal orders (he ordered the same as her, a waffle and bacon with a cup of coffee) before leaving the couple. Daryl pulled his phone out of his pocket with his injured hand, having to hold it awkwardly due to the green cast, and turned it to show something to the blonde beside him. Beth's eyes widened at the mangled motorcycle in the image he was showing her.

"Is that your bike?" she asked incredulously. Daryl sighed sadly and nodded. "How did you survive that? How did you get out of it with a broken wrist as your worst injury?" she asked and Daryl shrugged.

"Yeah, I asked Rick to text me a picture of it and he did last night, rather hesitantly. He knew how much I loved that bike…and I'm not sure. Rick's wife, Lori, seems to think I had some guardian angel looking out for me. Witnesses say the guy who hit me clipped the rear tire first, which somehow ended in me getting thrown from the bike. Rick says if that hadn't happened, if I had been on the bike when the guy hit the rest of it the second time, I'd be dead." Beth stared at the image for a bit longer before meeting Daryl's eyes, the movement of her head making a bang fall into her eyes.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm glad that happened, you getting thrown off that is. I'm glad you're still alive and that I met you," she told him softly. His eyes softened and he squeezed her hand in his before letting go and brushing the bang back behind her ear.

"Me too." Beth smiled and squeezed his knee before her attention was pulled to the waitress returning with their breakfast and drinks. The two ate in silence for a bit before Daryl reached over and grabbed a piece of bacon off of Beth's plate and ate it, despite having bacon of his own. Beth stared at him in shock, then mock anger before grabbing a piece off of his plate in return and eating it, matching the grin on his face with one of her own.

"So I was awake in the hospital for, what, a week, almost two? We talked everyday…but…" Daryl paused, a sudden look of reluctance on his face.

"They weren't very deep or personal conversations," Beth interjected when Daryl stopped talking and he nodded.

"You have any siblings?" he asked, his voice soft and hesitant, as though he was worried about asking her any personal questions. Beth smiled and dug out her own phone, turning it to show him the lock screen picture. The picture was of her, Maggie, Shawn, her father, mother, and Glenn on the middle Greene sibling's wedding day to the Korean.

"That's my brother Shawn, he's the oldest of the three of us. He's married, has been for a few years now, we suspect they'll announce a baby in the near future. This is Maggie, she's technically my half-sister but we're really close. She married Glenn, that's him, about five months ago. Of course, I'm sure you guessed that these two are my parents. This is my daddy, Hershel, and mama, Annette." Daryl looked over the small image on the screen, trying to take in the beautiful and happy family it held but his eyes kept going to the Beth in the image.

She stood between the bride, Maggie, and their mother. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder and curled, hanging down over her bare shoulder from the strapless bridesmaid's dress that hugged her torso before hanging loosely to her knees. She wore a pair of cowboy boots with the dress. She looked beautiful but what really sold Daryl was the brilliant smile and the brightness of her eyes. That smile took his breath away every time she gave it to him or he saw it.

"You look beautiful," he whispered before his brain could stop him, his eyes going to hers as nerves and regret filled him. How would she react to him saying that about her? A blush covered her cheeks and a shy smile lifted her lips.

"Thank you." The two sat in silence for a moment, both munching on the last of their breakfast.

"What about you? I know about Merle, but do you have any other siblings or family?" Beth asked. A brief, dark look covered Daryl's face and Beth remembered all of the scars on his chest and back. She knew about the scars, and Daryl knew that, he had been awake during some of the dressing changes she had done for his injuries after all, but Beth had never asked about them. Hell, she had ignored them. After taking care of the man when he had been in the coma, she had seen the scars plenty of times and easily ignored them.

"No, Merle is it as far as blood goes. Rick's my brother too, been through a lot with him. He helped me get away from my old man, helped me get through training, got me a job as a bounty hunter, keeps my arms and desk full of cases and people to hunt down. When Merle said he wanted to leave and me to go with him a few weeks back…well, you know what happened. I chose to stay. I love that job, I love Rick and his family. They treat me like a family should treat a person." Daryl sighed and Beth put her hand back on his knee and gave it a squeeze.

"It's okay, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Daryl nodded at her words, his hand moving to grab hers from his knee and holding it.

"Since we're talking about the heavier topics, I got one for you, how come you're single? I thought you'd be claimed, taken, whatever you want to call it," Daryl asked as the waitress returned with the check and to clean away their empty plates. It was Beth's turn to sigh as she reached for the check, only for Daryl to snatch it from her and bump her knee with his as a gesture for her to get out of the seat so that they could leave.

"I dated someone a few years ago," she started.

"A few years ago? Wouldn't you have been in high school a few years ago?" Daryl interrupted making Beth laugh.

"I'm twenty-six, Daryl," Beth paused, "how old did you think I was?" The man shrugged as he handed the cash to pay for their breakfast to the man at the register before guiding her back out of the restaurant.

"I dunno, twenty? You don't look twenty-six."

"Oh…well, no, I'm twenty-six. Anyways, a few years ago, I was dating this guy but things weren't working out. I wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, he wanted me to go into music and become a famous singer so that he, and I quote, "would never have to work again." The longer we dated, the more I saw of this arrogant, self-righteous guy. I broke it off shortly after a fight about me going to nursing school. Spent the time since doing school part time and working two jobs so I didn't have the time to date. What about you?"

"Guy sounds like a douche. Glad you didn't put up with that. It's your life, not his." Daryl paused as he leaned against his truck and pulled Beth into his arms as a cool breeze brew through, causing a chill to race down Beth's spine. The blonde tucked herself into his arms and felt a sense of calm and happiness flow through her at the safe feeling she got as his arms wrapped around her. "I've never dated," he admitted softly. Beth looked up sharply, surprise evident on her face.

"Never? How does a great guy like you not have girls flocking all over him?"

"Well, I….I've been with women…" a blush and an awkward look crossed his face at the words and he cleared his throat. "Merle and I…never stayed in one place long enough for me to even think about dating someone." Beth mouthed an "oh" and Daryl nodded. The couple stood holding each other in silence for a moment before Beth could feel a shift in the man's body language. She looked back up at his face and saw a smirk slide into place.

'Oh no,' she thought. 'He's gonna mention this morning…'

"I just have two questions left. One, wanna talk about your pleasant dream this morning?" he teased and Beth blushed furiously, burying her face in his shirt to hide the dark redness of her face.

"No!" came her muffled response from inside his shirt and Beth felt his laugh through his shirt. Mortification filled the blonde as images of the faceless man filled her mind. Her mind traitorously thought of how the unknown man's callused hands felt on her skin in the dream and Beth's mind screeched to a halt. Callused hands. She recalled the feeling of Daryl's hand in hers and how rough they felt.

It had been Daryl.

She had dreamed about her and Daryl surviving in an apocalypse together.

She had dreamed of them falling in love.

She had dreamed of them having sex.

And, oh god, she had moaned out or said his name in her dream.

He had heard it.

And he hadn't run away.

He didn't seem to feel awkward about it, Beth reasoned. If he could openly tease her about it, surely that meant he was okay with it, right? The blonde pulled her face from the fabric of his shirt and hesitantly lifted her face to meet his eyes. His blue eyes were full of mirth and something else. Adoration. Beth swallowed heavily and licked her dry lips, her eyes watching as his followed the movement. That settled it. That told her he was just as interested in her as she was in him. She set her jaw and straightened slightly, keeping eye contact with him.

"You," she told him simply, even though he already knew. "I dreamed of you. Of us." The man's hands lifted from her lower back and cupped her face. Her eyes fluttered shut as his head tilted down towards hers and a sigh escaped her lips as his lips met hers gently, at first, then hungrily. The sensations and feel of his hungry kisses sent a shock through her body and Beth felt herself fall into him, one of his hands moving from her face to her waist to help keep her standing while the other slid into her hair, gripping it slightly. After a dazzling, breathless moment, Daryl pulled away and Beth heard herself give a small whine at the loss of his lips on hers.

"Second question," he asked around his breaths, "dinner? I'll pick you up at…seven?" Beth's words were stuck in her throat so she nodded before pressing her lips to his again.

This is it, she thought, he's the one.