…

The front cab of the truck is silent and Daryl swears that Beth's words are physically hanging in the air for him to see. She's sitting there, looking at him, looking so pretty with one of the trailer park streetlights shining in through the window, shining just on her and making it look like she's glowing. She has said what she's said and now, she's staying quiet; as if she knows that Daryl just needs a few minutes – or maybe even hours, to be honest – for his mind to register what she has just said to him.

After dinner with his family and then dessert – Jenny and Millie had made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting because it was a special occasion – they sat around for a little bit longer, watching an episode of House Hunters – because Merle had just discovered that show and loves it, spending most of the program yelling at people for their overly picky or stupid opinions.

Daryl had been the one to stand up after two episodes and announce that Beth should be getting home. As he liked to remind everyone, she's still recovering and tires out easily. He was a little bit surprised when Beth hadn't actually protested and instead, she had stood, too, before giving Jenny, Merle and Millie all hugs and thanking them over and over for having her over for dinner.

"Do you think I could spend the night tonight at your place?" Beth had asked as soon as they were in the cab of the truck and before Daryl could even put the keys in the ignition.

Daryl had paused and had looked at her and she had been looking at him, smiling faintly; blushing lightly. And he knew, he knew, exactly what she was talking about and it wasn't just some innocent sleepover.

"I, uh…" he tries to find his voice again and it aware of how much of an idiot he sounds like right now.

He knows what he wants to say. The answer he wants to give isn't one he has to think of too hard or long about at all. But should he give that answer? Beth's tired and she needs her rest and besides all of that… is this her first time? She's a church-going girl and she teaches Sunday school and she's the youth coordinator and girls like that don't just fall into bed with all sorts of men? If this is her first time, Daryl feels a slight push on his chest. That's a lot of pressure on him and Daryl feels unprepared for it. In a few days, yes, but right now, caught so unexpected, he doesn't know if he's fully prepared at making this night memorable.

He's never been anyone's first before. Not that he's some expert at sex – honestly, it's never been his favorite thing to do – but he knows that girls like their first time being something special. Daryl's used to falling into an unmade bed with a girl who knows exactly what she's doing and it's over in just a few minutes before he's rolling away again, pulling up his pants and not staying that long afterwards.

With Beth, he's thinking that he'll probably need a candle and he's trying to remember the last time he washed his bed sheets.

"It's okay, Daryl," Beth speaks again. "We don't have to."

She obviously can't read his mind, but she can obviously see the way he's hesitating and Beth's smile slips slightly on her face and Daryl can definitely read her mind right now.

"It ain't that, Beth. I want to. Believe me." He turns more towards her. "I just ain't ready for it. I'd want time to make sure that your first time is somethin' worth rememberin'."

Beth's eyebrows crinkle and her head tilts slightly to the side as she looks at him. "What makes you think it's my first time?" She asks him.

Daryl blinks at her. "It ain't?" He asks and he can't hide the surprise from his tone.

Beth's small smile returns and she shakes her head. "You'll be my second," she then tells him.

Daryl thinks that over for a moment. "Zach?" He guesses and Beth nods and she falls quiet, letting him think that over for a few minutes.

The first time he had met Zach – and had seen the easy way in which he and Beth interacted together – Daryl had thought that maybe they had slept together at one point in time. But then, he doesn't know. Maybe, the more he got to know her, he had just thought… something completely wrong and how her job defines everything about her as a person.

"'m sorry. I jus' thought…"

"It's alright," Beth says, still with that small smile. "I get it. And I do take it seriously. Which is why you're only my second. I don't just… I've been in love twice in my life. The first time with Zach and now, with you. But already, with you, it's already so much deeper than anything I've ever felt before."

"You're the first woman 've eve been in love with," Daryl tells her because if he doesn't tell her that, who the hell will he tell? It's about Beth and is something that is only meant for Beth to hear.

Beth smiles at that and her cheeks grow a darker shade of pink. "I meant what I said though. We don't have to. Tonight. If you don't want to. There's absolutely no rush."

"I thought the guy usually says somethin' like that," Daryl muses out loud.

"So, say that then," Beth says, nearly giggling.

Daryl doesn't say anything though. He finally puts the key in the ignition and turns on the truck. Still, without a word, Daryl pulls the truck away from Merle's trailer and instead of heading down the road that will lead them from the trailer park, he turns and drives down to his own trailer.

Beth doesn't say anything either. She just smiles.

"Stay," Daryl tells her after turning the engine off once more and Beth just smiles wider. He gets from the truck and walks around the front to Beth's door. He opens it for her and takes her hand, helping her step down. When she smiles up at him, Daryl can do nothing except smile back at her.

…

"I can't 'member the last time I washed these sheets," Daryl murmurs, more to himself, but Beth hears nonetheless and she lets out a breathless laugh that trails off into a moan when Daryl moves his fingers a particular way that she definitely likes. Daryl makes sure he remembers that spot.

Daryl is down to his boxers and tee-shirt and Beth is naked. Completely naked. Lying on his bed. And Daryl already knows for certain that he'll never forget this site for as long as he lives. He still can't quite believe this is happening, but she wants this and he sure as hell wants this, too, and she's lying on his bed and she's so fucking beautiful, Daryl feels like he can hardly handle it.

"Daryl," she moans as his fingers continue moving between her thighs. "I need you," she breathes even as her hips lift from the bed, pushing more of herself against his fingers. "Oh God," she then gasps, her fingers curling into the sheet beneath her.

Daryl can't help but snicker a little. "Sayin' the Lord's name in vain?" He manages to tease even as he feels his cock harden so much, he's amazed he's able to even say a coherent word right now.

"Shut… Daryl!" She then cries out, her voice echoing into the room, his trailer, probably outside. Her whole body tenses and then he can feel her quivering around his fingers, her release flooding around him.

"Fuck," he breathes because watching Beth fall apart – because of something he did – is probably the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

"Daryl," she half-whines, half-moans when he presses a kiss to the inside of her thigh and he chuckles.

Her fingers uncurl from the bed sheets and she moves them to his shoulders, her fingers now curling into the cotton material of the tee-shirt he's still wearing. Daryl takes the hint – not that he can wait any longer either – and he tugs down his boxers and he hesitates with his tee-shirt. Should he take it off? He hasn't told Beth about the scars on his body – mementos left over from his old man's belt. No one ever sees his back and even on the hottest Georgia summer day, he keeps his shirt on.

He's taking too long, he realizes, and Beth pushes herself up on her elbows.

"Is everything alright?" She asks, her eyes dark with concern as she looks at him in the darkened bedroom, standing at the foot of the bed.

Daryl wonders if it's too soon to be thinking about it as their bedroom because he wants that. He lives in a trailer, but at least it's a nice trailer and Beth seems to like being here. Would she be open to moving in? They're about to have sex, yes, but he doesn't know if Beth would want to live with a man before marriage. Is that where this is leading? Daryl's never thought twice – or once, for that matter – about getting married. Would Beth's church whisper about her if their Sunday school teacher moved in with her boyfriend without getting married? Having sex is different. That's just between them and it's not like Beth will be making an announcement about it to the congregation, but moving in with him, that can't be kept a secret.

He thinks of his mom and old man. Nothing about them made Daryl even consider getting himself married. But then there's Merle and Jenny and even with Merle being in prison, they've stuck together and Daryl watches them now and it's obvious that they love each other. They prove to him that happy marriages do exist. What would he and Beth be? Like Merle and Jenny or like his mom and old man?

No. Not like them. Nothing like them. Beth's not his mom and Daryl is nothing like his old man. He's not.

They're different, yes, but Daryl thinks it works for them. She seems like she's happy whenever she's around him – and Daryl wonders if she's happy because of him – and whenever she's around, Daryl finds himself able to smile a lot more and a lot easier. That means something, doesn't it? To him, it means a hell of a lot. For him to actually be happy and to be actually happy because of another person, that means everything.

"Daryl, is everything alright?" Beth asks again, the question jarring his thoughts, and her eyes slightly wide with not just concern, but worry now, too.

Daryl doesn't say anything. He pulls off his tee-shirt, dropping it onto the floor with his boxers and her clothes, before he turns towards his dresser. He keeps a box of condoms there – not that he ever uses them, but because if he ever did, he wasn't looking to have any accidental Daryls or Darlinas running around. He takes a couple out now, and yes, he's being optimistic over his performance, before he turns back to the bed.

Beth gives him a small smile as he crawls onto the bed to join her, crawling over her body, and her smile grows just as his lips drop down to hers.

"I love you," he whispers, barely lifting his lips from hers to tell her so.

"I love you, too," Beth tells him in return with the smile still growing across her face.

She lowers herself down onto the bed, gently pulling Daryl with her, and he feels his naked body touching hers. He almost closes his eyes at how damn near perfect it already feels with her. Beth's fingers comb through his hair and then her hands are on his back. He stiffens the first time her fingers touch one of the scars and he wants to look away, but instead, he forces himself to keep his eyes on hers.

Beth looks up at him as her fingers slowly move to another scar and he's trying to read her eyes; steeling his body for the look of pity she's going to be giving him any second.

But instead, Beth lifted her head from the pillow and her lips touched his softly. "I love you, Daryl," she whispers and that's all she says. Her hands leave his back and go to his hips and her legs spread a bit wider so he can settle himself comfortably between them.

He feels the heat and wetness pulsing off of her and he really needs to put the condom on right this second.

He brushes a strand of hair back from her cheek and her eyes flutter shut at his tender touch. "I love you, too, Beth." So damn much, he adds silently to himself though he knows it didn't matter if he said the words out loud or not. Knowing Beth, she already knows that for herself.

…

Beth is dozing beside him. As he likes to remind everyone – including her – she's still recovering and Daryl's not the sort to ever pat himself on the back for anything, but he knows that the two times wore her out.

It's late now – or early – and it's a quiet night. Daryl's not feeling tired – even after everything tonight. He just wants to keep laying there, on his side, with Beth laying on hers, watching her as he sleeps. He admits to himself that a part is afraid to close his eyes; afraid to close them and then open them to find that she's gone and everything that's happened between them tonight didn't happen at all.

Just then, some dick outside decides to drive past with his stereo turned up so loud, Daryl feels the walls around him vibrating with the thumping.

"'m sorry," he says when Beth's eyes flutter open at the sound.

She sees him and a slow, tired smile spread across her lips. "It's alright. Not your fault." She closes her eyes again, shifting closer to him, and Daryl moves his arm, resting it over her hip. He likes holding her. "It's probably for the best anyway that I'm awake. I really have to pee and I don't want to make a mess in bed."

Daryl smirks at that and she opens her eyes, letting out a soft giggle. He doesn't stop himself from dipping his head down and kissing her.

"You wan' somethin' to drink?" He asks.

"After I go to the bathroom," Beth smiles and then leaning in, kisses him one more time before she slowly pulls herself away from him and out of the bed.

The yellow glow of the streetlamp creeps in through the window blinds and it helps Daryl look at her naked body. She's a little thing. Thin, too. Their first time, Daryl had been afraid of hurting her if he moved at any pace faster than a turtle's. Beth had quickly showed him that she will not break.

"You're beautiful," he hears himself say.

Beth pauses from picking his tee-shirt off from the floor and she turns towards the bed, looking at him and smiling shyly. "I think you're sex drunk," she tells him and slips his tee-shirt on over her head, it falling down and covering her body, stopping to skim over her thighs.

"Sex drunk?" He echoes with a smirk. "That a real thing?" He sits up and Beth tosses him his boxers.

"I'm making it a thing," she smiles with a shrug and Daryl breaks out into a smile, too, as Beth spins from the room and goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Daryl pulls himself from the bed, tugging his boxers back on, and he heads from the bedroom, through the living room – stopping to make sure the door is still locked, though there's no reason why it wouldn't be – and he goes into the kitchen. He doesn't turn on a light, having everything and its places memorized, and he goes to the refrigerator, pulling open the door, being momentarily blinded by the light inside.

"Beth!" He calls out after looking over the choices he has. "Sprite alrigh' with you?"

"Sounds good!" Beth calls back from the bathroom.

Daryl takes out two cans and then, once the door is closed, he moves around the dark, grabbing the bag of Fritos he knows is in one of the cabinets. He carries the things out to the living room, carefully depositing them onto the coffee table before grabbing the television remote.

When Beth comes out again, the toilet flushing behind her, the light from the bathroom spills around her and she gives Daryl before flipping the switch off and disappearing into the bedroom again, coming out a moment later, now wearing her underwear along with his tee-shirt.

She glances to the television as she comes to join him on the couch. She sits with her knees drawn to her chest and he hands her the other can of Sprite and then offers her the bag of Fritos. She smiles, taking a few, and then her eyes return to the television screen.

"I hate this movie," she then comments.

"Wan' me to find somethin' else?" Daryl offers, already lifting the remote.

Beth shakes her head. "I think our options are limited at two in the morning. But just be prepared. I get angry and yell at the screen when I see one of these movies on."

Daryl smiles at that. "What makes you angry about it?"

Beth sighs, as if she's mentally preparing herself. "Your kid storms out in the middle of the night, in a deserted trailed park. And none of you take your cell phone with you when you go out after her?"

"Well, if they did take the phones with 'em, they wouldn' come back to find that the Strangers smashed 'em all," Daryl answers, a smile still twisting at his lips.

"Yes, and how could they possibly advance the plot if people didn't act like complete morons in horror movies?" Beth asks with a roll of her eyes, making Daryl let out a laugh.

That's another thing about Beth. She doesn't only get him to smile, but laugh, too.

They watch The Strangers: Prey at Night for the next few minutes in comfortable silence, sipping their sodas and eating from the Fritos bag. Beth's right, Daryl thinks. Screaming for a family member when they know there's some psycho out there, looking for them, isn't the smartest thing to be doing.

"Daryl?" Beth breaks in quietly.

Daryl looks at her and doesn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

Beth hesitates. "Those scars…" Daryl feels his body tense. "Are those scars why you don't believe in God?"

Daryl lets out a stream of air as if he's been holding it in.

"Yeah," he answers simply enough because despite the question, there actually is a simple answer.

His back – his body – is riddled in scars from his old man; the guy who was supposed to be his dad and keep him safe. God's never done anything for Daryl, in his opinion, so why should Daryl believe that there's anything up there, looking out for him.

"My ol' man was an asshole and liked to remind me of that whenever he got a chance."

Beth lifts a hand to the back of his head, her fingers scratching through the hair there. "I'm sorry," she said quietly and it's not said to be condescending or out of pity. If there's anything he hates, it's someone pitying him.

Daryl shrugs. "Ain't your fault. And it was a long time ago."

"I know that doesn't matter," Beth shakes her head. "Things like that… I imagine they stick with you. Not that I know what I'm talking about. My daddy, he's never…"

"I know, Beth," Daryl tells her. "You don't gotta feel guilty 'bout havin' a good childhood."

"I understand now, though. Why you don't believe," she says, still talking quietly, looking at him; the movie forgotten by both of them. "I won't talk about it anymore."

Daryl doesn't know if she means God or his childhood. "You can talk to me 'bout your work and the church. I want you to be able to talk to me. Yeah, it won't mean that much to me 'cause 'm not livin' through it, but if it matters to you, it matters to me. I mean it, Beth."

Beth looks at him and doesn't say anything.

"I don't believe in God. But I believe in you," he tells her.

He hears Beth's breath catch at that and from the glow of the television, he sees tears brimming in her eyes. But before he can begin panicking that he's just said the completely wrong thing, Beth leans in and kisses him.

"Thank you," she whispers. "And you, too. You can talk to me about anything, Daryl. I mean it. Even if I've never experienced anything like that… if it's about you, I want to know everything."

"Thank you," he says, lifting his hand to her face, aware he has Frito salt on his fingers, but Beth doesn't seem to mind as she smiles and leans into his touch.

She exhales a deep breath. "So the Bible has two parts. The Old Testament and the New Testament and there are plenty of pretty gory stories in both parts."

"Really?" Daryl perks up a bit at that.

Beth giggles. "I'll read you one. But there's this woman, Melissa Tompkins, and oh boy, she just makes me so mad and I don't understand how she's the mother to Natalie Tompkins in my Sunday class because Natalie is so precious. But anyway, this woman, Daryl, she is a piece of work and she said that under no circumstances am I to teach my Sunday school class about the obliteration of Sodom and Gomorrah…"

Daryl keeps looking at her, and resting his head back against the couch, he smiles as he listens to her.

…

Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review! I know the Bethyl fandom is slowly dying. I've been in fandoms long enough and am not surprised by it happening, but I still like to think about them. *sigh* What could have been with these two on that horrible show...