R_S: I know guys- I'm the worst. It's been 3 whole days since the last chapter, the longest I've ever taken.

... the fact that this is such a rarity's gotta count for something, right? No? Ok... well, hopefully this'll put me back in your good graces a bit. Enjoy!

Bittersweet

Maggie was smiling softly, cleaning up after dinner. She surprised herself by how good she felt about what she had done, felt a tiny ember of contentedness for the first time in months. Despite having no idea what was going on, Glenn sensed the change in his wife's disposition and let her be. Whatever it was that was ending their (admittedly over-the-top, he had to acknowledge at this point) blood feud, he was certain she had a good reason.

He pressed a kiss to her temple, "I'll see you tonight after guard duty, baby." She placed a reciprocal peck on his lips.

"Stay safe, Glenn." He shot her a smile and slipped out quietly, unaware that another had been waiting for him to do so. Daryl slipped in with all the silent grace of a jungle cat, and had Maggie not been facing his direction, he would have caught her entirely unaware. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, wondering what her sister saw in such a weird, somewhat creepy man… a man who once wore ears as jewelry.

She would support her sister's decision, but she would not like it. Even with the added romantic angle, it was hard to tell what the girl could possibly see in Daryl Dixon. Handsome? Maybe somewhat, but his mannerisms overrode any possible attraction - he was hardly a gentleman. Intelligent? Well, not in the traditional sense of the word… but sure, he was damn smart about some things. Funny? His sense of humor was crass and brazen, an acquired taste. He was so far the opposite of Beth, of everything she ever was or stood for, that maybe that was what she saw in him, Maggie thought. Perhaps Beth, in the wake of the world doing a 360, had decided that her perception of the ideal man should do the same? Whatever it was, it was strange, but it was something they were obviously serious about, and that demanded respect.

Daryl paused at the foot of the stairs, watching her uncertainly, and this time Maggie did roll her eyes. "Ya gonna stand there starin' all night? Say your piece if you got somethin' to say. Or, better yet, help instead of just standin' there like a statue." She watched his lips pucker in annoyance and smirked. If he was going to mess around with her baby sister, she might as well get some mockery out of it – it was her god given right.

He adjusted the strap of his bow, having just returned from surveying the perimeter, "I thought you was done bein' nasty to me."

"I'm movin' on and acceptin' the fact you make my sister happy," Maggie clarified, not looking at him, "Don't push your luck. I still don't love all this, for reasons I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah, I do." He acquiesced, "Well, either way, I 'ppreciate the sentiment." She shot him a warning glare at that.

"I didn't do it for you."

He met her stare evenly, "I know." She searched his eyes for something, anything to distrust, but found nothing more than what she had always seen and sighed.

"She's my baby sister, Daryl. Things ain't ever gonna be simple for us. I just… I'm tryin' to understand. That's the best I can give you for now, maybe ever." He said nothing but stared back, and she continued. "But, I reckon I can at least try to make things easier."

"The stress is makin' her sick, it ain't right." He said flatly, reminding Maggie again that he was not emotionally open but he still cared. It was becoming more and more obvious how much her sister had become the sun his life revolved around, and it offered her a modicum of comfort.

"I know. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for havin' a part of that, it kills me. You've done a real good job of takin' care of her, n'… she told me what ya said, this morning."

He licked his lips and shifted uncertainly, trying to hide his nervousness behind a façade of disinterest, "She did?"

"Yeah. It's kinda why we made up- can't really hate you for fallin' in love with her… hell, it's kinda been obvious for a while."

"No it ain't." He shot back immediately, and Maggie laughed bitterly.

"Daryl, the only one who can't tell you love Beth is Beth."

"Yeah? Tell that to the angry mob. M'surprised they ain't come at me with pitchforks yet."

She rolled her eyes again. "Wouldn't blame them if they did; you're not good enough for her."

"I know that." It was a simple statement that caused her to stop and look at him seriously.

"I know you do. It's why I'm tryin'… but everyone's so upset because we can tell, how y'all feel I mean. It's scary when your morals, the one thing you were tryin' so hard to cling to, gets turned upside-down. This kinda love was complicated back then, n' no one knows how it stands nowadays." A long silence spread between them as they observed each other, reaching a silent understanding. Finally, he ran a hand over his hair and sighed tiredly.

"Shit, how the hell do I get Bet-"

Hershel cleared his throat, glaring from the top of the stairs.

"I, uh, I'll take care of it first thing tomorrow, Maggie," Daryl covered poorly, "thanks fer the head's up." He could not bring himself to lift his gaze and meet the father's eye as he brushed past and out the door. The older man ambled in seriously, making his way toward his daughter. Fury curled white-hot in his belly as he watched her, a sense of betrayal looming. She nodded as he dropped into a seat, but otherwise nothing was said in greeting. She knew this was coming, had anticipated it, but still she struggled to withhold a grimace. Winning her daddy over was not going to be easy.

"What was that?" Hershel demanded, his voice deadly calm and detached.

"What was what, Daddy?" Asked Maggie in a tone of faux innocence, not lifting her gaze from what she was working on, and it was obvious where Beth had learned her peaches n' cream act from, though the blond had perfected it better.

"Don't give me none of that lip, you know what I mean- first that spectacle with the redneck at dinner, n' now I catch you talkin' to him… He's bad news, and givin' him anything he wants is just gonna encourage him to try n' get away with whatever he can."

"I was just tryin' to make amends daddy… we used to respect Daryl, even if you didn't always like him much. Now we can't even be bothered to use his name most times, and it's just… this life's too short."

"No," the man shook his head, "no, I won't stand for it."

"It's outta our hands at this point. Can't ya see that?"

He waved one arm across, "No, I don't like it, an-"

"I don't like it either, dad! But what can we do? She hardly talks to us anymore, and I miss my sister. I'm tired. Ain't you tired, daddy?" He sighed deeply,

"This is about Beth's well-being, Maggie-"

"I know, n' that's why we gotta do this. The way she walks around here nowadays, like a ghost… it ain't healthy, daddy. You can try to pretend you don't notice, but I know you do."

"That's why I'm tryin' to get her away from that heathen, back safe with us."

"'Heathen?' When did you even start talkin' like that; ya never used to. She is with us, daddy, why can't ya see that? And Daryl… he wants to do right by Beth, even if he isn't good enough for her. He knows how lucky he is to have her, wants to keep her safe and happy. That's what I want for her too, so it only makes sense to help him. He loves her daddy, I can see it and I know you can see it too. I know it's scary, but you just gotta accept that Beth ain't a little girl anymore… we gotta let her do her own thing, even if it isn't our favorite decision. I know you know that, daddy... so why can't ya just accept it so we can all move on? She's not leaving you, neither of us are." She stared at him pleadingly, but he just stared back with stoically.

"I thought you were on my side."

"There shouldn't be sides. Took me a while to adjust to the idea of all this, but I see that now."

He snorted and spat bitterly, "Well, perhaps some of us need more time to adjust." But Maggie shook her head.

"It's been a long-time comin', I think we kinda always knew that on some level. He's always treated Beth more like a mother n' less like a child. And Beth, she doesn't come t'me or you or Glenn when she's feelin' threatened; she always went straight to where Daryl was, whatever he was protectin'. That's how she felt safest, why she was so affected when he left with Merle before they were anything. It has always been this way, since the moment Beth was forced to grow up." Her explanations fell upon Hershel's deaf ears.

"There's a difference between a protector and a lover- those lines don't need to be blurred. She's not grown-up enough to realize that, not old enough."

"She is, n' we both know it. I don't' like it either, but what else is there? Believe me, I was rootin' for Ethan as much as the next person 'fore he went n' got douche-y with her."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Lizzie and Mikah saw them arguin' after Rick named Daryl n' Beth godparents. Ethan was raggin' on her real hard, callin' her names n' accusin' her of things that'd make a sailor blush. Mikah ran to get me to put a stop to it, but before I got there, Lizzie says Daryl was there givin' him a real rough time- with Merle of all people. I didn't let them know I heard 'bout all that, but I did. 'Just about forgave 'em right then n' there, if not for a bit of stubborn pride holdin' out. He really cares 'bout her, daddy; he'll protect her. He loves her so damn much even Merle pulled his head outta his ass 'bout it. And even if he ain't good enough, that's gotta count for somethin' in this life."

Hershel stood and hobbled to the door, "Not enough."

Maggie sighed as she watched him walk away. He knew he was losing; she saw it in his eyes. He was just scared, scared of losing his baby girl and scared of what might happened to her if someone else took responsibility for her well-being. She only hoped he would come around soon, so all this suffering could end.