…

The dinner of shake-and-bake pork chops, wild rice and green beans hit just the right spot after a day of work and an unexpected meeting with her brother after these years. Daryl, who had just eaten a hot dog an hour ago, had his own plate of food, obviously having no issue with eating some more, and he, George and Beth sat at the square kitchen table together. It was something so wonderful, Beth found herself smiling throughout the entire meal.

George was talking breathlessly all about preschool that day – Theresa really was doing such a good job, Beth thought – and she and Daryl listened to everything he said as if they had never heard anything more thrilling than this.

"Roy G Biv!" George than exclaimed.

Beth let out a laugh at the familiar acronym that, clearly, was still being taught to children. "And who is Roy G Biv?" She asked.

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet!" George was beaming at them both. "The rainbow! He lives at the end of the rainbow!"

"Can't say I know the man," Daryl commented and George laughed at that as if he had never heard anything funnier. Beth just kept on smiling.

After they were done eating, George carried his plate and cup to the counter next to the sink as that was one of his chores.

"Alright. Can you get yourself in your pajamas or do you need help?" Beth asked.

"I can do it!" He answered like she knew he would.

At four, he was determined to do everything by himself without assistance – whether he could actually do these things by himself or not. But getting into his pajamas was something he could do on his own and Beth knew he loved doing it. George took great time in picking which shorts and tee-shirt he wanted to wear at night – not that he had that many options but his decision was a serious one.

"Go and get in your pajamas then," Beth said and the words barely left her mouth before George had turned and raced for his bedroom.

Laughing to herself, Beth put the plug in the sink drain and began filling it up with hot water and a few drops of dish soap. Daryl came up with the other plates, setting them down on the counter next to her.

"Thank you," Beth smiled up at him and she just kept on smiling when Daryl leaned in, kissing her head.

As the sink filled up, she stood on her toes and unlatched the window in front of her, opening it a crack. The heat wave had broken at night and temperatures were getting down to the low sixties – perfect weather to fall asleep in with the windows open.

She looked back to Daryl. "Would you like to spend the night tonight?" She asked him.

Daryl didn't answer her right away; not that she was expecting him to shout as enthusiastically as George did when she asked him a question. No. He looked at her and was clearly thinking her question through. If he didn't want to, Beth told herself that she wouldn't be hurt or offended. They loved one another but that didn't mean that they had to be together all of the time. She knew that Daryl liked having his own time.

"If you want me to," Daryl finally answered.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to," Beth gave him a small smile before she began washing the first dish. "But only if you want to."

Daryl was quiet again; something else to think over. "I'll go get some stuff," he then said and he kissed her head again before turning.

Beth smiled to herself and kept washing the dishes as she heard Daryl cross to the front door and leave the trailer, closing the door behind him. Hearing clacking on the plastic linoleum floor, she turned and saw Dog standing there, looking up at her as he swept his tail back and forth.

"Alright," she smiled, pulling her hands from the water, shaking them off, and turning to the stove where the baking sheet was still on the burners. Taking the tin foil she had cooked the pork chops on, she set it down on the floor. "Clean it up," she told Dog though she didn't have to waste her breath and the German Shepherd began to lick every single crumb up. Beth returned to finishing up washing the dishes.

She had just finished up, pulling the plug from the drain and drying her hands off on the towel, when George came running back – now dressed in his pajama shorts and a black tee shirt. He held his stuffed dragon in his arm and Toothless in his hand.

"Good?" He asked her.

Beth looked at him and let out a laugh. "Good," she nodded in confirmation and he grinned. "Would you like to watch a movie?"

"Can I play with my toys?"

"Of course, Georgie. You don't need to ask that."

George's grin only grew as he hurried himself to the living room and with his dragons, he began playing with his plastic toys that Ms. Mackey had given him for his birthday. Dog finished licking the tinfoil and Beth picked it up, balling it and throwing it away.

"Daryl's going to be back in a few minutes. I'm going to change into my pajamas. Will you be alright?" Beth asked her son, glancing to Dog as he found his rawhide bone underneath the television stand, before looking back to George as he began driving one of the cars around and around Toothless. "George?"

"I'll be alright," George responded, not lifting his eyes as he grabbed one of the pillows from the couch.

Beth went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her, and with a tired sigh, she began stripping herself of her clothes. It had been a long day. Work at Aldi all day and then that meeting with Shawn. She was surprised she was still functioning to be honest. She just felt completely drained. Physically, mentally, emotionally. She didn't know if she would actually be able to take another family member just popping into her life, out of the blue.

She was glad her mom had tracked her down and the jury was still out on Shawn but Beth didn't know if she wanted anyone else to find her. She had a life here; for herself and her son. She had done it. She had gotten herself and George somewhere safe and she had gotten them a place to live and she was the one who had done every single thing for herself and George for these past few years.

She didn't need Shawn or Maggie coming here, swooping in and "saving" her and acting like the older siblings they were supposed to be five years ago when she left.

She thought of Daryl's question – if she was leaving. Beth had answered with the only answer she could possibly ever give to that particular question. Orson was home. This trailer and this park was her home and she didn't want to go anywhere else. Every time her mom came to visit, Beth braced herself for Annette to bring that very thing up; about she and George coming back to the farm – despite Hershel's still apparent anger towards her.

Beth couldn't help but imagine it. George had never seen a farm before. All of that open space and all of the animals. The big farmhouse and Annette cooking pancakes for the family every Saturday morning. Church on Sunday mornings and going to the same elementary school that Beth had gone to. Learning how to milk cows and ride horses and when he turned twelve, he would learn to drive the pickup truck like Beth, Shawn and Maggie had all learned. They obviously wouldn't be driving into town at that age but Hershel had taught them early, just sticking to their farm and backroads near home.

As for Beth, she wouldn't have to work endless shifts behind a cash register anymore, making just enough money to help her and George get by. She and George would live on the farm so she would help her family there. Work never stopped on a farm but farming was in the Greene blood and they were good at it. It would be a good life for the both of them.

But…

They had a good life here. It was safe and they were both happy and yes, Beth worked hard but she felt proud every time she got a paycheck because she had worked her butt off for it.

She changed into her own pajamas and threw her clothes into the hamper. When she came out of her bedroom again, she smiled when she heard Daryl's voice now with George's in the living room.

"Beep, beep!" George chirped.

"Nah, George. This is what a cement truck would sound like, honkin'. Honk. Honk," Daryl said.

"Honk! Honk!" George echoed, much louder.

Daryl lifted his head when he heard Beth – though how he could hear her on carpet and no floor that creaked, Beth didn't know – and she gave him a smile before making a stop in the bathroom. Coming out a few minutes later, Daryl and George were still on the floor, still playing with his cars, and Dog was still lying down, chewing his bone. In the kitchen, she got herself a glass of water and then came to join them. She sat on the couch, curling up on the end, and smiled, watching them for a few minutes.

The last trip to Wal-Mart, Beth had found herself looking at the books. She couldn't remember the last time she had read a book that hadn't been intended for George's reading age. She had grabbed a couple of paperbacks on a whim – both marked down to clearance. A Harlequin romance novel and a James Patterson book. Neither exactly challenged her mind intellectually but why would that matter? She deserved mental breaks like anyone and she realized that she missed reading just to read.

As Daryl and George played with the cars and dragons, Beth adjusted the pillow behind her and then turned, stretching her legs out across the couch. With the lamp on behind her, she took the James Patterson from the coffee table and opened it to the page she had left off on.

Outside, she heard a faint rumble of thunder. Oh goodness, she hoped it did rain that night. An early fall rain with the windows open? The best way to fall asleep.

When she lifted her eyes again, she saw that nearly an hour had passed. Her eyes flew to George and Daryl. She had been so engrossed in the book, she hadn't realized Daryl had turned on the television.

"What are you two watching?" She had to ask.

Daryl had adjusted the rabbit ears antennae on top of the television and there was Gordon Ramsay screaming at a group of chefs.

"Heck's Kitchen, mama," George answered and Beth pursed her lips, smiling, at his adorableness.

Daryl turned his head from where he sat on the floor and gave her a little smirk, Beth smiling back.

"Georgie, it's time to brush your teeth. You can come back and finish watching the episode after," she said. "Do you need help?"

"I can do it!" George let her know like she knew he would and with his stuffed dragon, George stood up from the floor and went into the bathroom. She heard him dragging his stool to the sink and a moment later, the faucet turned on.

With a grunt, Daryl stood up, stretching. He wore sweatpants and a tee-shirt and glancing to the door, she didn't see his boots. He had walked here in his socks. It made her smile – Daryl in his pajamas, staying over, George watching Heck's Kitchen, Beth lying on the couch, reading a book… It was like they were a family, enjoying a quiet night in their quiet home with a thunderstorm rolling in.

"How's the book?" Daryl asked and Beth moved her legs so he could sit on the couch with her.

"It's good," she nodded, sitting up. "Easy. Can I talk to you about something?"

"Everythin' alrigh'?" He asked because of course that would be what Daryl would instantly ask.

She nodded, rubbing her lips together; wetting them. "I love when you stay the night and I want you to stay the night, every night, but I… I love you, Daryl. I love you so much and after Patrick… I didn't love him even a fifth of how I love you. I actually don't think I loved him at all since falling in love with you."

"Beth," he gently interrupted. "I love you, too. Wha's goin' on?"

She looked at him and took a deep breath. "I always imagined being married and having babies. In that order. Obviously, that didn't work out. But it's still something I would like. Marriage and then babies. And I know there's birth control and condoms and other ways to prevent an accident but there's only way that would completely guarantee that. But I don't want you to think that I'm teasing you, having you sleep over here if I'm not going to sleep with you-"

"Beth, you gotta breathe," Daryl interrupted again. He inched closer to her and his hand slid over her leg. It wasn't a suggestive touch; just a casual touch. "And you don't gotta explain anythin' to me like that. 'm fine, Beth. I really am. Am I actin' like I want somethin' more?"

"No," Beth shook her head. He never acted like that. Not that she had a ton of experience but from what she knew, sex was a natural part of relationships. "Why don't you want something more?" She then asked because with Daryl's question, she had to know.

Daryl shrugged. "'m not in a hurry. 'm not goin' anywhere and now I know you're not either. We got time, Beth."

Beth looked at him, staring into his eyes, and her entire chest felt like someone had reached in with their hand and was now squeezing. "Who are you?" She whispered.

His lips twitched a little at that and without answering, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

…

With the windows open a crack, just as she wanted, Beth fell asleep with a cool breeze and the storm moving in. It seemed she fell into a deep sleep in no time and when she woke up again, the room was dark and it was pouring outside now. Daryl was behind her, his arm slung over her hip, and Beth wondered what had woken her up. She then felt jostling on the bed and looking down to the foot of the bed, she thought that maybe it was Dog jumping up.

Instead, it was George, crawling up towards her.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Beth asked softly, her voice a croak from still being half asleep.

She flipped back the comforter and George crawled right in next to her, laying down, his stuffed dragon hugged to his chest with both of his arms. Beth covered him up again and kissed his head.

"What is it?" She asked. "Is it the storm?" George didn't say anything but he nodded and Beth shifted, holding him close. "It's alright. We're dry and warm in here. See? No leaking roof. We're dry, right?"

"Right," George whispered, nodding, and Beth kissed his head again. "It was scary when we slept outside in the rain," he then said, still whispering.

Beth's eyes were adjusted to the darkness. Outside, there was a lamppost that would send a faint orange light into her room through the blinds so it wasn't completely dark and now that she had been awake for a moment, she was able to see her little boy clearly.

"It was scary," Beth agreed. "But you know why we had to do that, don't you?"

"To get away from daddy."

A lump lodged in her throat and she tried to think of how she could respond to that. She had tried to talk with him about Patrick before but George had had no interest in that and Beth hadn't tried the subject again. But maybe she should have. Maybe she should have tried to get George to talk about it instead of just letting him keep these things inside like he clearly had been doing.

"Do you remember daddy?" She asked softly. "Do you miss him?"

She felt awful for it because Patrick was his dad but she felt relieved when George shook his head.

"I don't miss him," he told her. "He was mean."

Beth tried to think of something that would disagree but Patrick had hit her too many times to count and he had slapped George. He neglected them because he was too busy always trying to get high and to a little boy, of course those would be things that would make a person mean. Beth couldn't tell him something otherwise. She didn't want George to think that anything about Patrick had been anything that a person should do.

"He got you this," Beth then felt the need to remind him, touching the dragon in his arms. George hugged his stuffed animal a little tighter and didn't say anything to that. Beth kissed his head. "It's okay, George. Daddy is in Birmingham and he'll never come here. It's just you and me."

"And Daryl," George added. "And Dog."

Beth smiled. "And Daryl and Dog," she agreed and George smiled, too. "Do you like them being here in our home with us?" She then asked because he was four but her son's opinions and thoughts were just as important to her as her own and if he ever didn't want Daryl sleeping here, then Daryl wouldn't sleep here. As easy as that.

"I love Daryl and Dog," George said.

"I love them, too, and they love us," Beth said with a smile and George smiled, too. A rumble of thunder rolled over the trailer and the rain seemed to fall heavier now. "Close your eyes, Georgie. One of my favorite things in the world, besides you, is lying in bed when it's raining outside. It always puts me to sleep. I love how it sounds on the roof."

George closed his eyes as she told him to do and Beth felt Daryl shift behind her but he didn't seem to be awake. His arm was still around her and Beth kept hers around George. And looking at her son and feeling Daryl's body heat, keeping her warm, Beth began to sing a song she hadn't sung in so long; a song that right now, she felt like she had to sing – quietly so not to disturb either of them.

"What I feel, I can't say.

But my love is there for you any time of day.

But if it's not love that you need,

Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed.

Tell me, what is my life without your love?

Tell me, who am I without you, by my side?"

…

Thank you so, so much for reading!