Possibly going to be able to hit 30,000 on this story today! I was going to write last night but was on the road at 6.30 got back at 21.30, then had two hour long phone calls…and then I was too tired! But this week should be very updatey since its half term! this is the last chapter of peace before drama!
Saturday morning rolled round, and having knocked for five minutes and rung his phone, Daryl was yet to contemplate answering. This didn't sit well with Carol, she knew he was down over this whole Beth situation, and his father was getting more demanding as of late with the threat of Merle ever more usable. She sighed, taking out her emergency key. He could be blacked out drunk on the sofa, which she prayed was true. But even so she held a finger to her lips, and Sophia caught on smiling at the idea of surprising Uncle Daryl.
Carol checked in the living room, there were blankets and an empty beer bottle on the side. She looked at Sophia, and asked her to tidy those up as she went to go get Daryl. Smiling Sophia agreed bounding across to get tangled in trying to fold sheets, which would hold her up for a while.
The hallway was empty as ever and the door firmly shut, Carol pushed the door open. Surprisingly Daryl was totally alright, maybe not in the head, but he was safe. Carol hid her smile. Daryl Dixon was laying naked on the bed, sheets entwined in his legs from torrid affairs, his manly pride hidden by the small smooth white hip of Beth Greene. His arm was wrapped around her, holding her close, and in the night she had moved to face him in a gently embrace. Beth's sunshine hair was splayed across the pillow beside her, the roots nuzzled close to Daryl's cheek, who had a small satisfactory smile on his lips.
He had never been so happy. But then again, beautiful women do beautiful things to scarred men. There was only one thing to do, she walked out the room then called loudly and knocked that she was coming in. this seemed to revive the sleeping lovers because as soon as she set a foot in the room for the 'first time', Daryl hunched over and pulled the sheets up.
''Oh like I haven't seen one before,'' Carol tried not to smile at Daryl's embarrassment. He moaned at her like a hormonal teenager, which to be fair was all he had displayed this morning, as of yet. ''But, Sophia is in the living room, and I'd like her to wait a few years before seeing one. Get dressed, I'm making pancakes. Ah, same to you please Beth.''
Beth had turned her head to the sound of Carol's voice, and then felt Daryl move in panic. Trying not to smirk at the embarrassment she sat up when Carol left. She felt almost like a youthful teenager again, staying over at boyfriends houses with liberal parents. Beth stretched her arms above her head, yawning widely. Daryl moaned slightly at the sight, the noise reverberating in the back of his throat. She was all cream and strawberries.
He pulled himself out of bed, pulling on stray jeans and boxers. Normally he would wear his pyjamas but he didn't trust certain morning parts of himself with Beth around, and that's the last thing he wanted to show a six year old girl. As if on purpose, a still-unclothed Beth leant over to pick up her discarded clothing from the floor, the reflection in the mirror caught her perfectly. A thin bar of golden light where his curtains didn't quite reach fella cross that glorious arse, and once again Daryl was reminded how he should wear jeans, indefinitely. Get your head back on focus.
Beth dressed herself in yesterday's lilac vest top and a bouncy floral skirt, it was all of modest length, and made Daryl want to simultaneously cry at her innocent perfection and snort derisively at the wolf in sheep's clothing. She pulled her hair into a messy bun with a bobble on her wrist, wiping under her eyes with small fingers. Pieced back together before he had even picked out a shirt.
She left the room, leaving him to try and string himself together. He sighed, rubbed his face and looked into the mirror. He looked just like himself, perhaps a bit stubblier than usual, but where his entire world felt like it had dropped suddenly, nothing at all had changed. His whole face was just as he left it, though it felt foreign to him. Daryl was simply Daryl staring back. Maybe that's how the world goes.
Making his way to the kitchen, Daryl leant in the doorway. His three girls were all helping to make pancakes. Beth fit like a missing jigsaw piece, breaking eggs into the mixing batter and giggling loudly with Sophia over random things. Sophia was smiling with her missing tooth, flour across her nose. A crude apron had been made from a tea towel tucked down her shirt, which was proving necessary from the batter. Carol was heating up the pan, she looked over shoulder and smiled at Beth and Sophia, then instinctively up at Daryl. They shared a look of weighty understanding.
''Uncle Daryl-'' (Beth snorted loudly on her coffee, making Carol pat her on the back) ''-I made pancakes'' Sophia beamed up at him, wide smile and flyaway hair like a halo around her. She was the only one of them still whole. She bounded around the kitchen to hug Uncle Daryl, he managed to rip off the tea towel before he got covered in batter. She had barely managed his waist with her small arms, and for one ridiculous second he thought of Herschel's little farm girl pictures of Beth. One thing was sure though for Sophia, she even thought about letting a man hit her and that guy was meeting with Uncle Daryl's fist, if not Mummy Carol's.
Daryl sauntered in, settling himself at the bar to watch them busy around they spoke about random topics: the new supermarket, best kind of cupcakes, and the power rangers. Beth laughed and smiled along with Carol, seamlessly working together to put the milk away and set out plates. Daryl picked up the newspaper and began reading through the jobs section, taking one of Sophia's crayons to circle an advertisement. A plate was pushed I front of him, holding the largest tow pancakes, as the others tucked neatly into a single one. The chattering continued between Beth and Carol, muttering about thin English pancakes to thick American. It ended with Beth making an English pancake to test Daryl. He could agree with neither Carol nor Beth, they were both nice, and the friendly competition was already resulting in Carol asking how to flip with a larger frying pan.
This could be his new Saturday. Sophia obviously wouldn't mind, she stared at Beth with a small smile.
''Is Beth your wife?'' Sophia clambered on the chair next to Daryl, leaning against his warm arm. Her eyes were big and blue, questioning innocently. He shook his head at her gently, to which she frowned.
''but she's pretty and was in your room.'' The unflawable childhood logic, made Carol laugh and Beth's cheeks went red at the compliment and
''She was uh- helping me make the bed that's all.'' Daryl was soft, but Sophia's faced drooped slightly, upset at not having an Aunty Beth. In her small head it was so obvious. Carol muttered another, 'is that what they're calling it now', to which Beth poked her in the ribs for.
''She should be your wife.'' The bluntness of the sentence made Daryl choke on his coffee, which he was using to cover up his reddening cheeks. Daryl avoided the eyes of everyone for a moment, finishing the last of his forth pancake.
Beth blushed at the exchanged and collected the plates, taking them to the sink. Daryl's newspaper was stuck underneath, glued on with water and sugar from the careful baking prowess of a six year old. Easing the paper off, a small red circle caught her eyes. Daryl was leaving his job? But the ad wasn't for him.
Needed, young singer and performer for local bar gigs. Fri-to-Wed.
Lucky Ty's Phone: 0800 6574 8229
''Is this meant to be me for me?'' Beth looked across at Daryl, her voice was small and undetectable, holding up the sodden paper.
''Well, I just- I- you wanted a job, help you get on yer feet-'' Daryl stuttered unsure if she was angry or upset at his presumption, he was just trying to help. But women, he had learnt, didn't always see it that way.
''Oh you can sing, Beth?'' Carol popped her head over Beth's shoulder to read the article, smiling proudly with inquisition. Beth opened her mouth, already shaking her head. But she was too slow to replying, only being able to glare at Daryl.
''Yeah she can.'' His voice held no argument, and the rare compliment of faith in an ability made Carol look up from the paper to Daryl. His eyes held a dreamy quality of a memory, obviously this girl had made an impression on him. But why on earth was she singing to Daryl?
''Ooh, you're even more like a princess.'' Sophia had gotten to Beth's side, pulling on her hand with a sense of awe. At least he wasn't the only one head over heels with her, he thought. Beth was being pulled down to Sophia's height, being whispered into her ear. Beth smiled gently and whispered back. On her way to standing up a small nod at Carol to tell her later.
''I should get going, Daddy is probably pulling out his beard by now,'' Beth brushed off her skirt, hugging everyone goodbye, with a small kiss of everyone's cheek. Daryl's cheek burned. She headed to the door, leaving the apartment with a definitive shut of the door. It would take a bus and a walk through the woods to get home, but she'd done it many times. It was sad to leave Daryl, but she needed the space still. Her head was reeling with the confusion of what he meant, he was a friend, obviously. But something else was there for them both, and that had to be extinguished before it grew to anything. She was cancer to relationships, and Daryl couldn't handle that. But instead she thought about what it would be like, if every day was like that morning.
Back in the kitchen, carol made a small face for the sudden surprise. And they all thought one thing: did she leave because of me? Carol had to take Sophia to Dance Class, so they soon followed after helping clean up. Later Daryl would have to visit jack, tell him about Merle coming out on Wednesday. That was four days. Daryl snorted to himself what possible 'good behaviour' would have a Dixon let out of jail a month early?
Beth clambered up the steps of the porch, her legs burned, and she silently cursed herself for neglecting her health so often. Herschel was sat in the kitchen anxiously tapping his full mug of coffee when she walked in, he stood up ready to shout. But Annette was there already, holding her baby's cheeks in her hands asking questions. Beth batted off the questions, and smiled. The genuine smile almost knocked Herschel over, and he couldn't do anything to make a move toward saying anything at all that would dampen that look. Wherever she had been, had tied her heart back in place.
Beth set about helping Annette wash up the breakfast plates and prepare the vegetables for dinner. Hershel watched her talk animatedly for the first time in years, twirl around the kitchen twittering about anything at all. She refused food saying she had eaten and ran off to her room to get showered and dressed in new clothes, even kissing Herschel on the cheek.
The buzz in her body was, for the first time in a while, totally natural. Where the drugs maintained hyper smile where everything seemed overly hilarious, and the pain couldn't bite only try to get past the protection of chemical love. But this was real, and so when she stepped into her room and the door closed, she folded. Beth managed to only get as far in as to slide down the door into loud sobs. Because she was never going to have Daryl, and even if she did he would leave her. The helplessness filled every part of her that the fear hadn't.
Hope you enjoyed (if you REALLY enjoyed you know what to do) xxx