I hope this chapter is better than the last and thank you so much to those reading and reviewing.

…

Chapter Twenty-One. Take Me On.

He's able to thrust a couple more times, but then he has to stop himself. He can't do this and Beth isn't into it anymore, either. He can feel her. She's a million miles away right now. And who the hell can blame her? Thanks? Really? That's what he says to her when she says those words to him? She surprised the hell out him, that's for sure. It's only been almost three months since Amy and just a couple weeks with Beth. Technically, they just went out on their first date two nights earlier. He's just not ready for those words yet.

Daryl slowly slips out of her and then rolls from her, sitting up, his legs over the edge of the bed. "'m sorry," he says then in a quiet voice.

"No," Beth's reply is instant; quiet, too. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I don't know what I was thinking."

Daryl keeps quiet. She was thinking that in that moment, she loved him and he ruined it by saying thanks. Thanks like she had just done a favor to him by folding his laundry; as if it's not some huge fucking deal that she just told him that she loved him. He still doesn't know what to say to that. He shouldn't have said anything. Silence would have been better than thanks. Just repeating that word in his head, he nearly cringes.

He stands up from the bed and goes into the bathroom, getting rid of the condom. Louis is in the hallway, practically dancing for the bedroom door to be open again, and when Daryl leaves the bathroom, the dog has already gone into Beth's bedroom, jumping onto the bed and making her laugh softly. Daryl nearly exhales a sigh of relief upon hearing her laugh. Things can't be all that bad if she's laughing, right?

Thanks.

No. Things can still be pretty bad whether Beth's laughing or not.

He goes back into the bedroom and pauses, not entirely sure what to do. Louis is with Beth, licking her face, and she is laughing as she rubs the dog behind his ears. Daryl's not sure if he should get back into the bed. Does Beth want him in her bed? It'd be even shittier of him if he goes to his bedroom and not spend the night with her. He may have responded piss-poor to her love statement, but this is still Beth and he likes her. He really likes her.

"Can we do something?" Beth speaks suddenly, breaking him from his thoughts. He looks at her and waits for her to continue. "Can we just pretend that I never said anything? I don't want things to be weird between us and right now, it's really weird and that's the last thing I want."

Daryl stares at her for a second. Can he pretend that? She had said that she loved him. Those words are a big deal no matter when they're said and he knows Beth. She meant it. She's not the sort of girl who would say those words if she didn't mean them. She loves him and now, because of him, she is just willing to push that all aside and ignore it.

No, he doesn't want to ignore it. How can he? The words are hanging over his head right now. I love you, Daryl. Just because he's not ready to hear them doesn't mean he didn't hear them at all when she said that. Now, it's practically the only thing he can hear.

"Sure," he manages to say.

Beth manages to give him a smile, but it's small and a little tight and he wonders if he just further screwed everything up by agreeing to forget it. He has no idea what the hell he's doing and he hates feeling completely clueless because he's aware that he's probably letting Beth down in some form or another. He just has no idea how to do any of this.

She laughs then, soft and not at all sounding amused, and his eyes fly to look back at her.

"You make me feel like such a pathetic girl, Daryl Dixon," she says with a shake of her head.

Daryl frowns at that, but he stays quiet because what the hell can he say to that?

"I'm a doctor," Beth continues. "I've been to veterinary school and learning to become a vet is not easy. I'm smart and I'm strong."

"I know that," Daryl is finally able to say that.

"And it's not your fault, but I feel like such a pathetic girl when I'm around you. Does he like me? Does he not like me? Am I his girlfriend? I don't want to go back to high school, Daryl."

Daryl's back to frowning. "I didn' tell you to say that to me," he reminds her; as if this is something he has to remind her about.

Beth looks at him. She's sitting up in bed, still naked, but she has pulled the sheet to her chest so she's hiding herself from his view. Damn, she's beautiful. So fucking beautiful. He can hardly believe that she's actually real. Girls who are beautiful like her really only exist in magazines and on the television. They aren't here, having sex with him and in love with him. And maybe that's another thing. Maybe he just doesn't believe that he deserves her.

"And I want to forget that I did say that to you," she reminds him.

"So does that mean you don't?" Daryl can't help but ask.

"Daryl!" She exclaims then, her frustration bubbling over. "Make up your mind! What do you want? I know it was way too soon to say that to you and I shouldn't have said it, so either we forget it and pretend it never happened or we address it and let things be awkward. I don't know what else to do."

"You ain't makin' any sense to me," he admits. "I make you feel like a pathetic girl and then you're yellin' at me 'cause I'm not reactin' to it the way you wan' me to. You're makin' my head spin jus' like-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Beth cuts him off and he's grateful that she did because what he was about to say, that would just make things a thousand times worse and he knows that, but he hadn't been able to stop himself from saying it anyway.

There's a loud knock on the front door downstairs and Louis lets out a bark, leaping down from the bed and taking off out of the room and down the stairs. Beth, herself, flies from the bed as well and begins quickly dressing herself. Daryl follows her lead and goes into his room to throw clothes on himself. Honestly, he's a little relieved for the interruption. He's never been good at this – talking about feelings and all of that other sort of stuff. He needs to work on it – he knows that. He's too damn old and he knows that talking about feelings is part of being in relationship and it sounds like Beth doesn't even know they're in a relationship. Of course, that is something he hasn't told her he wants so why would she know? It's amazing how much he can fuck up by not saying anything.

He comes down the stairs to see that the front door is wide open and he follows the light and sounds of voices into Beth's exam room. It's Shane and his uniform shirt is stained with blood. And on the table, bleeding from his side, is a pit bull dog, quiet and still, but Louis is standing at the table, whining.

"Wha' the hell happened?" Daryl asks as he goes to grab hold of Louis' collar, ready to get the dog out of the way, as Beth listens to the dog's heart.

Shane exhales a shaky breath. "We had a raid on the meth heads in the woods, which we've done plenty of times 'fore, but this time, idiots decided to open fire on us. Everyone's fine. Rick's still there with the other officers, takin' reports and makin' arrests. This dog was the only one hurt. Idiots shot their own dog. I volunteered to bring 'im here to Beth."

Daryl's quiet, taking that all in, and then looks to Beth. "Is he gonna be a'right?" He asks her.

Beth doesn't answer right away. She's now inspecting the small hole in the dog's side and when she touches the surrounding area, the dog lets out a small whine and shifts his body.

"Shhhh, baby. You're okay," Beth whispers to the dog and then lifts her head to look at the two men standing there. "Thank you for bringing him, Shane. I got it from here."

"You need help?" Shane offers.

"You have done more than enough," Beth shakes her head as she begins pushing the men towards the door without actually physically pushing them. And when Daryl, Shane and Louis are clear of the door, she closes it behind them.

Shane exhales a deep breath.

"Wan' somethin' to drink?" Daryl asks.

"I should prob'ly head back. Help Rick with cleanin' it up out there." Shane looks to the closed door behind them. "You think I'd be able to keep the dog if he pulls through?"

"I doubt he's goin' back to his first owners," Daryl says and Shane nods, still looking to the door as if he has the ability to see through the door and watch Beth get the bullet out.

"Sorry to wake you both up," Shane then says, looking back to him.

"We weren't sleepin'," Daryl answers without thinking and then he almost winces.

That is not something that should ever be said around Shane. The guy's as much of a horn-dog as Merle is and the topic of sex should never be brought up when either one of them is even in the vicinity. And now, as expected, Shane grins.

Daryl exhales a sigh and shakes his head. "Ain't that," he says and steps away, going to close the front door. "We were jus' talkin'." At least, that's what he thinks they were doing. He admits that he's still a little confused. Beth tells him she loves him and then wants to forget about it and act like nothing happened and she feels pathetic and how can he not think about her telling him that?

Shane nods. "That's good, man."

Daryl can't help but be surprised and he looks at him. "It is?"

Shane smiles a little. "Yeah. Not that I know from experience, but I've heard that talkin' in a relationship is a good thing. You and Amy ever talked with each other?"

"She talked. I listened," Daryl shrugs.

"So, see? You talkin' with Beth is a good thing," Shane says.

"Yeah…" Daryl comments and then turns away so Shane doesn't say anything else about it.

He knows that talking is a good thing. Ever since he was a little kid, people would say that to him even though everyone in town knew Will Dixon so Daryl being so quiet was completely understandable to all of them. And it's just something that has carried over into his adulthood even with his old man being dad for so many years now. He's just never seen the point of talking; some people talk too damn much, in his opinion.

But with Beth, he knows he needs to talk – just like he had to talk with Amy – but there's a big difference between Beth and Amy despite what he implied upstairs.

Beth actually makes him want to talk. He just needs to break the life-long habit and do it.

Shane leaves to return to the scene and Daryl promises that he will call him as soon as Beth's done with the dog's surgery. He looks to the clock. It's just a little before eleven and he knows he should go to bed because from the looks of it, Beth will be in there a while, but he feels wrong and strange just going to bed when Beth is in that room, saving a dog's life.

So, he goes into the kitchen, gets a glass of water and then returns to the sitting room where he settles himself down. Louis lays down at his feet, lowering his head on his paws and watching the closed door. There are magazines on the table next to the couch and Daryl looks at them. It is no surprise that they are all magazines about animals. He picks up one and begins reading about the depleting shark populations and how that pretty much is going to fuck up the oceans if there are no more sharks.

Daryl gets completely immersed in the article – the whole magazine really – and he doesn't keep track of the time. When the door opens, his head flies up and Beth stands there, seeing him, surprised to see him there. He slaps the magazine shut and stands up.

"Read anything good?" She asks, her lips twitching in a smile like his sometimes do.

"There are around five to ten shark related deaths each year involvin' people, but over 100 million sharks are murdered each year," he rattles off. "How's the dog?" He asked.

"Good," she nods, wiping her arm across her forehead. "Well, as good as he can be considering I just pulled a bullet from his side, but he's tough. He'll pull through."

Daryl is almost surprised at how relieved he is to hear that. It's not the dog's fault his owner and the entire family are trailer trash meth heads. No one asks to be a part of something like that and he'd hate to be the one to tell Shane that the dog didn't make it.

He looks at Beth for a moment. She is turning her head slowly, working a crick out of her neck, and she looks exhausted. He doesn't hesitate. He goes to her and standing behind her, he starts to rub her neck and shoulders. Beth drops her hand and she lets out a low moan as she closes her eyes and turns herself over to him.

"That feels amazing," she moans out.

Daryl keeps rubbing. "'bout earlier, 'm real sorry, Beth. I don't wanna forget you said it though."

Beth is quiet for a moment. "Okay," she then says in a quiet voice. "I am sorry I said it though. I shouldn't have. It's way too soon. Since Amy… since we started this thing…"

"Relationship," he finishes for her. "We're in a relationship."

She's quiet for another passing moment. "Relationship," she then echoes quietly and he can't see her but he can hear her smile.

"And I jus' need time," he says, his hands stilling. "That's what I really need, Beth."

Beth turns her head so she can look at him and she gives him a small smile. And she doesn't have to say anything because that smile, for Daryl, is more than enough.

…

"How's it going up there?"

Daryl comes to the edge of the gazebo roof and looking down, he sees it's Spencer. "Took us mos' of the mornin' to clear out all of the birds livin' in the rafters," he answers. "Now, we're finally startin' on tearin' the roof off."

"Looks good," Spencer offers.

"Looks like shit," Daryl counters and Spencer grins. "You need somethin'?"

"Do you have a second?"

"Yeah." Daryl pulls himself back and looks to T-Dog, who is pulling shingles off and dropping them off the edge onto the grass below. "I'm takin' a minute," he tells him.

"Toss my water bottle up here," T-Dog requests as Daryl climbs down the ladder.

Spencer is standing near the cooler and Daryl goes there first, flipping the lid and taking out one of the bottles of water. Louis is instantly at his side, his tail wagging eagerly. The dog hates when he and T-Dog are working on roofs because that means he can't be near them.

"T!" Daryl calls up to him and a moment later, T-Dog is at the edge of the roof and Daryl tosses him up the plastic bottle. T-Dog catches it with a grin and takes a greedy chug.

Nearing the end of August, the summer is still brutal, but this week, there's actually been a bit of reprieve in the heat and the whole town seems to be taking advantage. The Commons that day is crowded as people enjoy the weather. He and T-Dog had set up a safety ring around them with yellow tape so people know not to get too close as they work on the roof.

"Wha's goin' on?" Daryl asks, looking to Spencer.

As always, Spencer is dressed in pants and a button-down shirt with a tie, the shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There's a paper cup from the diner in his hand filled with coffee.

"You're coming to Rosita's birthday party, right?" Spencer asks.

"Yeah. Didn' think I had the option of not goin'," Daryl then adds.

Spencer just smiles. "As Beth's boyfriend, you're right. You have no option."

And Daryl's own lips twitch at that. Beth's boyfriend. He really likes the sound of that. It sounds good and it sounds right.

"You still proposin'?" Daryl asks.

"I think so," Spencer answers. "I mean, yes. I am definitely still proposing. I just don't know if I'm going to do it at the party anymore. We were watching something on television and a guy proposed to this girl at a baseball game and Rosita said that she would hate a public proposal like that. Made me think I need to rethink this whole thing. I mean, her parents are going to be there and mine…"

"In the same room?" Daryl raises an eyebrow at that.

He's heard Beth talk about it. Even though Spencer's family is a political one and are perfectly polite to everyone – their constituents, Rosita always says with disdain – it's known that the Spencer's parents, his mom in particular, doesn't approve of his relationship with Rosita – even though they've been together for damn near ten years now. They think their son can do much better than Rosita Espinosa. Of course, her parents think that Spencer's whole family are nothing but a bunch of damn snobs and wish their daughter would be with someone a little more "Latino", in Spencer's words.

"Opposite sides of the room," Spencer clarifies. "Anyway, so I was thinking that I propose to her before the party and her birthday is just a birthday with the ring already on her finger."

Daryl's quiet and after a moment, he realizes that Spencer is looking at him. "You wan' my opinion?" He asks, not able to believe that. What the hell did he know about proposals? With his last relationship, his girlfriend was cheating on him and dumped his ass and his current relationship, he almost ruined the whole thing before it could even really start.

"Yeah. Beth and Rosita are a lot alike so do you think Beth would like something like that? Just something simple with no fanfare or should I stick to the public proposal?"

"Somethin' simple," Daryl answers without thinking it over because he really doesn't have to. He can actually imagine it perfectly. Beth would want something quiet; maybe something at home. Maybe they could take a picnic with them into the woods and he'd do it there. Or maybe even simpler than that and do it one night while washing dishes.

Daryl stops himself. He is really getting ahead of himself. Beth and him aren't there yet and they won't be for a very long time.

"Wha's somethin' that jus' the two of you do?" Daryl asks.

Spencer thinks that through. "We go to Joe's a lot for his Southern Rebel Music night."

"Yeah, don't propose to her at Joe's," Daryl shakes his head.

After Spencer leaves and Daryl gives Louis a pat, telling him to stay, he climbs back up the ladder to join T, once again, on the roof, pulling back on his work gloves. They continue tearing up the shingles, tossing them over the side, slowly exposing the roof's plywood beneath that will all have to be replaced.

"Damn miracle we ain't fallin' through this right now," Daryl mutters.

"For a damn historical site, you think the town would take better care of it," T-Dog adds.

"Guess they're wantin' to take care of it now," Daryl replies.

They finish around five. T-Dog has a meeting at the church, where he's on the church council and they have meetings twice a week at seven. And Daryl figures that they've been at it for almost nine hours now and they're both sweating and bit up and hungry for dinner.

They pack up their supplies and materials into the back of Daryl's truck and Daryl drives the man back at home with a promise to pick him up the next day at seven so they can do it all over again.

When he pulls up to the farmhouse and heads up the front steps, he sees a yellow post-it stuck to the outside of the screen door.

Went to see your brother. We really need to get you a phone. xoxo Beth

Daryl smiles, taking the note down and folding it into his pocket. He figures that Beth probably got the results back on the blood work and went to go tell Merle the diagnosis, but Daryl doesn't feel himself panic. If it was something truly terrible, Beth would have stopped first at the gazebo to get him before going to see Merle. And Daryl has always thought the same thing about his brother. Nothing can kill Merle but Merle.

Daryl whistles to Louis to get back into the truck and once again, he drives down the dirt drive for the main road. The lot for Joe's is almost full with cars, trucks and motorcycles, music pouring out from inside every time someone opens the front door. Daryl heads down the parking lot, pulling to a stop in front of the trailer, parking next to Beth's truck. The lights are on the trailer but over the noise from the bar behind him, he can't hear anything.

But as soon as he climbs the steps and knocks, the door is swung open and Merle is standing there with a scowl on his face.

"Your ol' lady is out of her damn mind, baby brother," Merle snaps.

Daryl tries not to smile as he steps inside, Louis rushing inside past him once he sees Beth in the kitchenette area, brown paper grocery bags on the counter, and she's unpacking.

"Hi," Beth smiles when she sees him.

"Hey." He drops a kiss to the side of her head without thinking about it. "Wha's all of this?"

"Your brother has a severe vitamin deficiency," Beth informs him while giving Merle a look.

"You say severe. I say somethin' I've been livin' with," Merle frowns at her.

"Barely living with. Anemia is not a joke, Merle, and you will take these supplements I got for you," she orders before going back to unpacking the groceries she has brought.

Daryl looks. There are several vitamin bottles lined up on the counter and fresh fruit. Banana, apples and pears. She's even bought him a bowl to keep it all in. And peeking over her shoulder, Daryl sees that Beth has loaded Merle's refrigerator with food including a gallon of milk, cartons of orange juice and V-8, and bags of carrot sticks.

"I can't stay here and watch her defile my home," Merle grumbles. "I'm goin' to Joe's."

"I've already called him and told him that you're only allowed orange juice and just orange juice with nothing mixed in," Beth informs him. "Doctor's orders."

"You're a vet," Merle tries to grasp onto something.

"A vet who saved your ass," Beth quips back before turning away to continue unloading the bags, this time pulling out a plastic container of garden greens.

Daryl has to turn away so his brother can't see the smirk he's trying to fight back and Merle is staring at Beth with his mouth gaping open like a fish. Daryl looks to Beth. He wonders how much time he'll need before he falls in love with her.

…

Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to review!