AN: Ok, so quickly, I know the last chapter was a bit of a filler and this one is too, but it's going to lay the way for some really fun stuff I am working on right now. So bear with me and I'll make it worth the while next chapter!

Once again, thank you to everyone supporting my story! Shout out to DarylDixon'sLover, Carowen, fieryandpassionate, SirensCalling, BetaGirl09, heartherrk, rckyfrk, Gabs, UltimateBethylFicList, suzisnowflake, Klutz-z, Trixieviv, 2carlaa, An Amber Pen, Reignashii, caseydoll5, and Mirsa! You guys are awesome and I appreciate your feedback!

Chapter 21

Daryl stood fixed at the door. He didn't know if he was ready for whatever onslaught that was waiting for him. Beth waited with him, a concerned look on her face, as he mentally prepared himself. He looked down at her and the concern washed away to be replaced with a small smile.

"It'll be ok. I didn't tell them you were back, though. So it will be a bit of a surprise for them." He nodded solemnly.

"Let's just get it over with." He took the card from her hand and slipped it into the slot on the door. She placed her hand over his as he turned the handle down and pushed open the door.

"It'll be ok." She whispered again. They stepped across the threshold to find the living area empty. He could hear chatter in the other rooms; Glenn was talking to someone, probably on his phone, and Michonne was cooing over Andre nearby. It was only a matter of seconds before they would know he was here. He wished he could just dart to his room and avoid the confrontation but knew it would never happen. He'd have to face it sooner or later.

Beth moved away from his side wordlessly and disappeared into Glenn's room. He could hear her talking softly but couldn't make out what she was saying. He moved closer to the door, trying to hear something, anything that might prepare him when another sound caught his attention.

"What are you doing here?"

Michonne's voice was full of anger. He turned to face her only to find her mere feet away. Her hand was on her hip where he knew she carried her gun. He couldn't imagine her being angry enough to shoot him but he didn't want to test his theory.

"I screwed up." He muttered with his hands up.

"Damn right you did. Rick said you quit." She didn't utter the accusatory thoughts that he could see running through her mind.

"I did. But I left her an' and shouldn'ta." He kept his voice calm, although the threat of the woman before him made him want to lash out at her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why?" Behind him he heard Beth, Glenn, and another set of footsteps walk into the room. Maggie must be here. Great. Beth took in the situation quickly and ran up to Michonne.

"What are you doing?" She shouted to the darker woman.

"Just having a friendly conversation." She smirked at him, clearly amused that she had him cautioned.

"Yeah, it really looks like it." Beth sneered. She moved closer to Daryl and placed a hand on his arm urging him to drop his defenseless stance. "Can we just sit and talk about this. We don't have much time." Beth reasoned.

Michonne dropped her hand from her hip and moved fluidly to the couch. Daryl didn't miss the glare coming from Beth as she took her seat across from Michonne. Maggie and Glenn sat next to Michonne and Daryl took a seat next to Beth. He felt like he was negotiating with an enemy. Daryl was surprised Maggie hadn't said anything yet but he didn't miss her annoyed glances.

"I know you all seem to have formed your own opinion based on… certain events…" Beth started with a flush of her face. She was clearly not comfortable about talking about it like this. "But we talked downstairs and I think you all need to hear him out." She looked over at him, her eyes expecting him to pick up where she left off. He noticed the other eyes in the room move from her to him and he felt like he was under a microscope again. He sighed deeply and began to speak.

"Killin' Zach, that wasn't easy for me. Y'all probably think I don't care but I do. But it was better him than her. I left cause Michonne was right." He looked her square in the eyes, her brows knitting together in a hardened stare. "But not about everythin'. None of ya have probably ever been where she was that night. Y'all wouldn't understand what happens when ya think you're gunna die. But I came back cause I do. And I care 'bout what happens to her." His voice turned soft on his last admission.

"I ain't some asshole redneck. But I ain't no saint, either. I may not do things the way other people do but that's who I am. I screw up, a lot. But I'm done runnin'." The timid voice was replaced with one full of conviction and the glares faded away from the faces of the women before him. Glenn was hard to read, he didn't look mad or amused.

"Beth, what are you doing?" Maggie finally spoke. "If this is your way of getting over…" She trailed off, her eyes searching her sister for something Daryl didn't understand. They seemed to speak wordlessly, something he and Merle never could do. He assumed this is what siblings grew up learning rather than learning how to survive on their own.

"This has nothing to do with Zach or Jimmy. To be honest, this all started back in Kentucky. It was just a matter of time." She said strongly. Daryl was shocked by her admission but tried to push that down for a later time.

"But… him? What about your career? Your image?" Maggie asked with concern. Daryl looked away from Beth and down to his hands. Of course they wouldn't like it. He was rough and dirty, she was soft and sweet. It was stupid of them to not worry about how it would look if they were together in whatever way they could be. She was going to be a star and he wasn't red carpet material. A part of him wished he would have just stayed in Kentucky or Georgia. He'd never thought of it like that. But to him, she wasn't some up and coming star. She was just Beth Greene.

"Actually, it's not that big of a deal, Maggie." Glenn spoke up. "I mean look at Jesse James and Sandra Bullock. They were one hell of an odd couple." Glenn laughed.

"And look how it ended!" Maggie spat back at her husband.

"Maggie, stop!" Beth shouted. "Daddy wasn't none too happy about you and Glenn when you got together, but he accepted it because it's what you wanted. Regardless of what happens, I want to live. I don't want to pretend that I'm living a life just to have another Zach torture me with fear. I want more." Her southern accent had never been more pronounced then it was in that moment and Daryl had to admit to himself that she'd never sounded sexier. Maggie looked back at him with a hardened glare in place again.

"You run off and leave her again, you'll answer to me." Maggie pointed a finger at her chest and got up quickly and stormed back off to the bedroom. Glenn stood and followed her leaving Beth, Michonne, and Daryl sitting on the couches.

"Beth, you need to start getting ready." Michonne dismissed her. Beth nodded and stood up and made her way to her room.

"Be nice." He heard her whisper as she passed him. "And make sure he's able to get backstage tonight." She demanded louder as she disappeared from sight. Daryl started to stand and head off to his own room before Michonne stopped him.

"Dixon?" He turned and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "You don't strike me as someone who comes back because you love her or care about her. I also don't peg you for someone who has been in a relationship before. I'll admit, coming back to her means something but I just want to know what's going on. I need to protect her."

"Not from me." He growled immediately, her other statements ignored. She nodded with understanding. "No, I ain't ever been in this situation before. But the other night… that meant more to me than what ya think." He didn't wait for her to answer as he walked to his room and closed the door.

Daryl decided to lay down before the concert tonight. He'd dozed off at some point because when he woke to a knock on his door, it was nearing five and she would need to be leaving soon. He sat up and moved to the door and pulled it open. Glenn looked nervously at him, a lanyard in his hand.

"Here's the back stage pass she requested for tonight. She's opening for Lone Star so security will be strict. You'll need to wear this at all times." He handed him the lanyard with a VIP badge attached to it and started to walk away. Something stopped him because he turned back and looked at Daryl with sympathy. "Give them some time. If Beth is happy, they will be, too." Daryl nodded and followed him out into the living area.

Maggie glanced over at him as he emerged still wearing what he had been earlier. She scrutinized his appearance; he'd seen the looks before. Her hospitality he'd experienced in Georgia was gone now that he was no longer the hired gun.

"We have to leave in a few minutes. That what you're wearing?" She asked flatly. Before Daryl could respond, Beth joined them dressed in a white t-shirt, leather jacket, skin tight jeans and flat boots. Her hair clung to her neck and shoulders as it stuck out from the grey beanie sitting atop her head. Her make-up was simple and she looked stunning. Daryl ignored Maggie and turned his body to hers.

"He looks great." She smiled as she walked up to him. Her hands reached up and smoothed down his hair. His hands immediately moved to her hips on their own accord. "Maybe just a minor touch up here." She giggled. "Looks like you were jet lagged."

"Yeah, a bit." He smirked and he swore he felt her shiver under his touch. Her hands stopped their motions over his hair and wrapped around his neck. Daryl wanted to look around and see if anyone was watching them but he couldn't take his eyes off of the beauty before him. "Ya look great." He whispered, so only she could hear him and she awarded him with a bright smile. He wondered if this is what it was like to be with someone. Saying something simple and being rewarded with something as equally simple but somehow making him feel like the only man in the world.

He felt liberated in that moment and used his hands on her hips to pull her up on her toes so he could dip his mouth down to hers. Their kiss was chaste rather than exploratory but as their lips moved against the others, it was enough to bring forth desires in him he'd never fully experienced before. He wished he could drag her back into his room and forget everyone else, but he knew she needed to go so he reluctantly pulled back. Glenn cleared his throat and drew attention back to the rest of the room.

"If you two are ready, the limo is out front." Beth looked over at her sister and squealed, Maggie running over and joining her. They started speaking in octaves too high for both Daryl and Glenn to handle without wincing. Glenn stepped up beside Daryl and laughed at the two, girlishly giggling about Maggie's first limo ride in New York and something else. "One of these days, every dog in town will come running when they do that."

"Does this happen a lot?" He asked Glenn.

"Thankfully, no." He half shouted. They moved to the girls and began to herd them out of the hotel and to the awaiting limo.

Hours later Daryl walked back into his room and pulled the VIP pass off of his neck. He sat down on the bed and rested his head in his hands. She had been amazing. The crowd, at least thirty thousand people, loved her. He stood next to the stage, much like he did in Georgia, and just watched every move she made. Every word sung left marks on his skin and he was sorry to see it end.

When they got back to the hotel, Maggie and Michonne swept her away to her room and Glenn excused himself to call some suit at the label. He wished he could have spent more time with her but he was still glad to be here with her. Things seemed to be falling into place quicker than he would have thought. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was with it but for someone like him, he didn't imagine it would be easy.

His thoughts were broken by a rapping on his open door. Beth was standing there, the same outfit on that she had worn on stage, looking at him with a thousand watt smile. Michonne greeted Andre's sitter behind her and they passed from view seconds later with the sound of the door clicking closed behind them.

"Hey." She whispered and stepped in closer to him.

"Hey." He whispered back.

"What'd you think?" She looked nervous as she asked. He smirked at her question.

"Think I might need to ask Rick for my job back." She laughed and sat down next to him.

"Don't do that. You can't take me out on dates if you're my bodyguard." He nodded a few times before looking back at her, his head tilted slightly sideways.

"Right, The Dove. When you wanna go?" She glanced over at the clock on his nightstand which read 9:24PM.

"What about tonight?" Her answer caught him off guard but he couldn't come up with a reason to say no.

"A'right. Let's go." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him and out the door.

AN: Trust me, you don't want to miss this date! ;-) Tell me what you thought, pretty please!