A/N another chapter, short and sweet, but I think it's important to show the bond between Jakob, and Daryl and Beth. :D Enjoy.

The afternoon sun was warm and welcoming, its golden glow was basking them in pure peacefulness, and yet it had nothing on how wonderful Beth's hands felt resting on his shoulders, she wasn't even doing anything, just lazily standing behind him, wrists rested on his shoulders as she leaned down. It felt strange really, not that he was allowing someone so close to him, but that someone wanted to be close to him, wanted to do nice things for him, no one cared before now. No one cared what you looked like in this world, hell no one cared what he looked like before, he didn't... still didn't but she cared.

'You couldn't find a single pair of scissors?' she questioned sceptically.

'U-uh.'

'Did you even look?'

'Beth it's that or shaved, s'up ta you I dun' care.' Daryl answered, and although his words sounded antagonistic, Beth knew they weren't.

She sighed again. 'It's going to be a mess!'

'Then leave it.' Daryl Suggested.

She chewed at her lip before looking to Jakob. 'Can't get much worse can it?' She asked hoping for a little encouragement.

Jakob simply giggled. 'It's gonna look so funny!' His wide eyes beaming, fully expressing the smile that his Fumes mask hid.

Daryl's head snapped to Jakob disapprovingly. 'Don' you laugh you're next, she's gonna get you... and your little dog too!' He tried on his creepiest voice and it seemed to silence Jake. He looked forward, over the suspiciously empty oval again. 'We gonna do this thing?' He asked, and he did feel nervous, because although cutting hair wasn't anything really, it somehow felt like her grooming him was something.

Beth took in another deep breath before tugging at his shirt collar. 'You should tak...' she stopped, itchy hairs be damned, Daryl wouldn't care for taking his shirt off, he'd just scare the stray hairs away with his ever grumpy presence or something, she took a piece of hair in her finger, only to lose it as he leaned forward.

She watched as he pulled it over his back and balled it up onto his lap. He didn't know why he did it, she wasn't pushing it, but something made him want to, because he was still trying to prove that he was happily being open with her, proving it to himself at least, it still felt uncomfortable, but he was determined to share everything with her.

Her eyes drifted down and she was a little surprised to see her hand had beaten her eyes to examining the scars, this was the first time she had seen them so close, and now the chill of evening was setting in, they seemed brighter and angrier than last time she had seen them. She realized Daryl had been holding his breath from the moment her hand rested on his back, but he hadn't pulled away, the muscles under his skin flinched violently though. She dragged her hand up to the base of his neck and felt him let out his breath as she sliced the first strands of hair of his head.

Beth took of several more cuts of hair before she looked over to Jakob, who seemed to be studying Daryl's back. She took a little step sideways so he could see better, understanding his curiosity as she continued cutting, giving him a tight lipped smile as he curiously looked. She caught how Jakob glanced to her for a moment before returning his eyes.

'Did you have a car accident?' Jakob asked suddenly.

Beth felt Daryl flinch a little, he had looked around the camp and no one was out, he was comfortable in front of Beth, well as much as he could be about it, but he hadn't expected questions. Beth was attempting to think of a answer, for Daryl, seeing as he seemed to ignore the question, but nothing came.

Daryl finally sniffed before glancing at Jakob, which earned him a soft slap to the head, he looked forward again 'Three, Rick was drivin' two out of those three times, dun' ever trust the man in a car, dunno how that guy was a cop, breaks every road rule in tha book.' He offered.

Jakob swallowed and continued his examination. 'Must've got pretty cut up huh? What did you hit?' Jakob questioned, but he didn't get an answer. He looked to Beth who gave him a slight shrug as she kept cutting away at the hair, trying to make it somewhat even. 'My uncle used to have a big scar on his face, and he didn't have a leg, and I think his arm looked like that... he hit a truck, I don't remember his name, but I remember he had no leg, and he had a pet bird... I thought he was a pirate.' Jakob explained before asking again. 'What'd you hit?'

'Ain't hit nothing, Ricks just that bad, hit two walkers once and the other time, he just ran off the road into a tree.' Daryl answered.

'Must've been a big tree.' Jakob commented.

'More of u bush, they weren't that bad.' Daryl replied.

'What was the other crash?'

'Huh?'

'You said there were three.' Jakob reminded him.

Daryl nodded slightly, regretting the action when he felt the bump of the blade on his scalp, it didn't cut, but it hurt. 'Just cruzin' with Merle, one night, we were pissed and he drove straight into a deer, wrecked the car, but we walked out of it, not a scratch on us.' Daryl answered.

'Oh.' Jakob didn't have anything to add to that.

Beth stepped in front of Daryl, her knees bumping his thigh as she stepped in-between his legs, the back half of his head sort of done, she would have to tidy it up some, but it was ok. She glanced back to Jakob who was considering Daryl's words, he looked up. 'I thought you must've been hurt real bad... I never had a car ride.' Jakob looked back to the floor and readjusted his fumes mask.

Beth smiled slightly, Jakob was so persuasive and gentle about the way he asked things sometimes, that made her frown, because he really was entirely too smart for his age. She looked down and caught Daryl's eye, he looked away, as if he was ashamed again, it was disappointing, but Beth didn't call him on it, she just kept working on his hair.

'They ain't from no car accident.' Daryl finally offered.

Jakob didn't answer, instead he tipped his head sideways. Beth watched him as he lifted one arm up a bit, and then tried hunching over. He looked back to Daryl's head with some sort of confusion, he bit his lip.

Daryl had noticed Beth had become distracted, her fingers weren't moving as efficiently, and as he glanced up at her he saw she was watching Jakob, and he looked in the boys direction, catching the uncertain look. He took in a deep breath. 'Just say it.' Daryl prompted, because really he knew Jakob well enough to know when he wasn't talking now, the boy who was so often silent, was so loud in his thinking...like Beth.

Jakob's brow furrowed again before he spoke. 'You always say not to lie down... ya gotta fight?' The way Jakobs little voice dropped slightly sounded like he just realized he'd been lied to.

Daryl nodded before turning back to Beth, she was looking as confused as Jakob, so he bumped her leg with his and motioned her to continue. She smiled quickly before complying.

Jakob took a deep breath. 'So why didn't you?'

Daryl sighed, and he almost sounded annoyed only he wasn't. 'Who said I didn?'

Jakob crossed to him, rolling up his little sleeve, he pointed out two of his own little scars. 'You don't have them on your arms...' Jakob rolled up his other sleeve and showed another, barley there scar, and confirming what Daryl had always thought. 'I used to have them all on my arms, coz I wouldn't let him hit me.'

Daryl returned his gaze forward, which was basically to Beth's stomach, he could have got distracted at that, but he didn't. 'Sometimes, ya can't.'

Jakob sat back down and readjusted his breathing mask a little. 'You said always... so why not?'

Daryl shrugged. 'So they don't move on to someone else smaller... ya always protect what ya can.' Daryl's voice dropped. 'Even what ya can't...ya gotta try.' He threw the child another piece of advice.

'That's why you saved me huh?' Jakob answered. 'Kyle said that he saw some walker bait get eaten before here, he reckoned his dad said they couldn't help him... you can't help walker bait... but you helped me.'

Daryl's brow furrowed, he knew Kyle, he was a couple years older than Jakob his uncle died in the recent attack, he was a nice bloke, Daryl didn't care much for Kyle's father though. 'What the hell's walker bait?' Daryl asked in astonishment, because really he had a fair idea.

Jakob shrugged. 'Kids like me...like I used to be, no family... they slow you down, so you throw them to walkers.'

Daryl whipped his head to Jakob in disgust, he didn't quiet guess that. 'Who the hell told you that?'

Jakob shrugged and itched at his mask again. 'The kids call me walker bait all the time... but I know I'm not.'

'Damn right ya ain't.' Daryl agreed as Beth moved back to finish the last quarter of his hair.

Jakob looked up to him again, considering his face, it looked different without all the hair in his eyes, he took a deep breath deciding to ask his question. 'Your dad do it?' he scrunched his eyes as he pointed to his own scars.

Daryl shrugged.

'Jonathon says his dad only did it once, but Bill threw Kyle's dad out the camp for a week because he did it to Kyle... I told them my dad never hit me...' Jakob answered. 'They said you ain't my dad... and they don't believe me, they're all scared of you, they say I'm lying... or I just have to wait long enough.' Jakob explained as his head dropped to the ground.

Daryl felt Beth run her fingers through his hair, He flinched when she rubbed of all the stray hairs on his shoulders and back, but when her hand gave his shoulder a light squeeze he didn't mind, he figured she was done. He stuffed his shirt back on and leaned forward to Jakob pulling his chin up in the way that always got his attention when Beth did it to him. The mask hindered it a little, but regardless Jakob looked at him. 'I am, 'k, ya got me, 'n that means somethin' more than what they got, coz I chose ya... could'a walked away, Beth too, but we didn't and we ain't gonna... and I ain't ever gonna hit ya...ever, even if I get real mad, won't ever do that.' Daryl confirmed.

He saw Jakob's eyes smiling and the boy nodded. 'I know.' he answered confidently, his voice holding no doubt.

Daryl stood. 'Ain't no walker bait either Jake, ya never was.' He commented as he ruffled his hands through his own hair, and looked back to Beth. 'Look all pretty?' he questioned.

Beth nodded enthusiastically. 'It's a bit messy, but yeah... you look like when I first met you, a bit, makes ya look younger too.'

Jakob looked Daryl up and down. 'You look different to me...' He commented.

Daryl squinted at the boy before picking him up and flopping him on the chair pulling his shirt of all in one motion. 'Your turn.' As he smiled devilishly at the boy.

Jakob smiled and relaxed back into the chair.

Beth kissed his head before beginning. Jakob's hair didn't take half as long, he had a whole heap less hair than Daryl, but he looked equally adorable when he was done.

All in all her hair cutting abilities weren't terrible, she commented that both their hair looked blonder now shorter, and Daryl had threatened to cut her hair and see what colour blond hair turned, but Beth disputed that, as she took the knife to Slayer and cleaned up some of the longer and prickle entangled fur that hung from his body.

Beth busied herself for the rest of the evening with tidying their little van while Daryl and Jake went to make plans for the next run. She wondered idly what they were going to be doing after... Daryl had told her he wanted them both to join him on a run, but it was no use wondering with Daryl, he was surprising at the best of times, so Beth just continued her work, and wondered how it had happened that the man that looked so much like the foul mouthed redneck she had first met had come to mean so much to her.

A/N Please review. There's some very exciting chapters coming up that take place during and after their little run, so you know the drill, reviews encourage me to post a little earlier.