A/N Thanks so much everyone! Well we got these two married, now what? Let's find out :)

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She scoots over closer to him, her hand on his thigh as they drive to their first stop, the hardware store. They laugh again about this being a working honeymoon but the truth is they're excited. They have several days to spend at the cabin, and they can't wait to get started on their new life and their new home.

They make their purchases. A heavy-duty rake, a push broom, lots of cleaning products and plenty of trash and grass bags.

He secures everything under the tarp and they're off to their next stop, the grocery store. They load up the coolers and put a few bags in the back seat of the pickup and they're finally on their way. They're anxious, and although neither of them is saying it out loud they're especially excited to spend their first night together as husband and wife, fully recognizing this day is the beginning of the rest of their lives.

It doesn't take him long to setup the tent up, and the foot pump makes inflating the air mattress fast and easy. He's never bothered with a mattress when camping out, but this is not his usual camping trip. By the time he's done, Beth has a good start on the rest of the camp. There's a rock fire ring and a stack of kindling, she's even got a good start on firewood. They get the rest taken care of in a few minutes and it's done.

They're tent is in close proximity to the cabin, just a few steps from the front porch and at first they stand with hands on their hips surveying both the campsite and the little cabin. It's all part of the plan. Tomorrow they'll start working on cleaning the place up. But that's not all.

Daryl's got his tools and a tank kit and plenty of spare parts. He's confident he can get the bathroom up and running. Everything in there is filthy and will require a lot of scrubbing, but they're prepared. Filth is the biggest issue, and they're well-armed with cleaning supplies. There won't be hot water yet, but they can heat water on the campfire to wash up, and they'll be able to use the toilet.

He's already ordered a big propane tank to be delivered. Then they can start working toward getting hot water, heat and a range and oven. There's so much that needs to be done and it's not going to be cheap, but instead of seeing it all as a lot of hard work and expense, they're seeing it with so much gratitude. It will be their own home, and a lot of it they will have built with their own hands. And it's in such a beautiful and peaceful spot. But best of all, they'll be doing it together.

They take each other's hand, smile and that's when the nerves set in.

It's not the work that suddenly has them feeling so nervous. What's causing their current state of anxiety is wedding night jitters. There's been a lot of buildup of anticipation, even a little false start here and there, and it's been eight years since they did what they did. Neither is worried they'll be disappointed in the other; but each is worried they'll disappoint their new spouse.

He's never been so nervous about holding her, but he takes her in his arms and as soon as he feels the warmth of her small body next to his those nerves begin to fade away. He tilts his head back, clasps her face between gentle hands, smiles and says, "I'm so happy Beth, are ya happy?" Before she can answer his lips meet hers for a hot, desire-filled kiss and she doesn't need to respond with words, her body instantly lets him know. It's missed his body so much.

The kissing quickly becomes more feverish, and suddenly he moves away, just long enough to zip the tent open. He looks so shy and nervous when he asks, "Ya wanna go inside?"

Her cheeks have turned pink but she doesn't hesitate to nod and shyly answer, "Yes."

He sits on the big cooler, she on the small one and they look at each other with eyes that still reflect some nervousness, but mostly they're full of love and happiness. They quickly pull their boots off and he hurries over to the tent opening, holding the flap aside with his hand as he teases, "Last one in is a rotten egg!" She laughs and teases him about being a real romantic, then hurries in the opening as he waits. He quickly follows behind her and zips the opening closed. He smiles, kisses her and says, "I knew I was the rotten one all along."

The playfulness helps to calm their nerves and they share a quick kiss, then lay down side by side on the open sleeping bag. He props himself up on an elbow smiling as he looks into her pretty face. His fingers push aside imaginary strands of hair as he tells her, "Four days ago I thought you were married to some other guy and had at least one kid."

He shakes his head a little side to side and says, "I was gonna sell this place and probably just live in that RV the rest of my life. It's hard ta believe how fast it all changed, ain't it? It feels like some kind of dream, but it's not. We're married and I love ya Beth Dixon."

She whispers, "I love you Daryl," and that's all she needed to say. He begins kissing her slowly at first but it soon becomes feverish again as the fire between them is quickly reignited.

The waiting and anticipation helps to fuel their pent up desires. There's no long leisurely build up, yet at the same time it's gentle and tender. His hand seems to simply glide inside her shirt, quickly popping the clasp on her bra. He pulls the shirt up to expose her breasts and he's so ready to take one in his mouth, but she whispers, "Wait," and instantly he stops, worried that even though she seemed as into it as him, he's done something wrong.

Then she smiles and whispers, "Let me help," as she raises herself to a sitting position. She grabs the hem of the shirt and quickly pulls it up, over her head and off, and just as quickly slips out of the bra. He sits up too and as they face each other he reaches for her nipple and softly teases it with the top of his finger. It's just one little touch but she feels the sensation right to her core and breathlessly tells him, "Your turn. Take off your shirt too."

He smiles and shrugs, "Whatever you say Missus Dixon."

He didn't mean for it to come as a surprise or worse, as a shock. He meant to tell her about it sooner, yesterday in fact. But he never seemed to get to it. Just now his mind was consumed with nothing more than making love to his bride, maybe that's the reason he doesn't even think to mention it. But as soon as he pulls the shirt off and she lets out a loud gasp, he realizes his mistake. She can barely get the words out, "Daryl…what…when…what did you do?"

He laughs nervously and sounds apologetic when he explains, "It was when I's in the Philippines, we were over there rebuilding an airfield. You were always on my mind Beth, that was nuthin' unusual, but that day it was more than just that. I couldn't stop thinkin' about ya and how much I missed you, wondering what you were doing." He looks down, nodding his head as it all comes rushing back to mind. He looks back up to her and says, "That night I was in town havin' a beer and I seen the tattoo parlor and…I don't know. It seemed like a way I could just kinda carry you with me. Corny, huh?"

Tears glisten in her eyes as she reaches out and with the tips of her fingers lightly skims over the tattoo just above his breast. There's a small rose on either side of the name written in script. It's her name, Beth. "No, not corny."

He shrugs, "I like it and I've never been sorry I did it. Are you sorry?"

"No I'm not sorry. It's beautiful, it's…well I can't quite believe it…"

He shrugs and laughs, "I guess I oughta tell ya now, I did get some other tattoos while I's in the Navy. Your name happens to be the only one I never regretted." He shows her the others but she can't really think about them now. All she can think about is the one on his chest. Again she says, "I love you Daryl, so much."

"I love you too girl," he gently lays her back, kisses her lips and then begins kissing a trail down to her breast. He'll take it slow next time, but for now they both want this too much. He begins to suck and to tease her nipple with his tongue while his hands are busy unbuckling her belt, loosening her pants and pulling them off.

He's on his knees drinking her in while his open palm skims lightly over her body and he tells her, "Damn you're a beauty Beth," then his mouth is on her body, spreading kisses along her pretty pale skin, stopping only to suck and nibble as he makes his way to her sweet mound, and that spot between her legs.

He's heard a lot of talk about it, especially in the Navy, but he's never done it. He's nervous but also curious and longing to try this with her. He's not sure if she'll like it, he's not even sure if he will. But desire trumps his worries and his nerves, and he asks, "Is it okay if I…"

She knows about it, of course she's heard stories. It always seemed like something so strange though. She's not sure how she feels about it and whether or not she'll like it. But this is Daryl, she trusts him and she's willing to try just about anything she thinks will make him happy, "Yes."

He slips between her legs and she's not sure what to do. Should she do anything? He begins slowly, tentatively kissing all around the outside while breathing in the sweet fragrance of her. It increases his desire and he loses his inhibitions as his tongue ventures inside her. She stiffens at first, shy and a little embarrassed. But the more his tongue moves the better it feels, and then he finds that little spot with his tongue, his lips and his thumb. She's self-conscious and shy at first, but what he's doing feels so good and she soon relaxes into it, and then she catches fire.

She can't believe that him doing that caused her to lose herself so completely, but it did and it felt so good. All she can think to do or say next is, "Thank you."

He's still caught up in the moment and even if he wasn't, those are not the words he expected to hear. He can't help laughing, "Well thank you girl, that was a lotta…well I wasn't sure about it, but I think we're both glad we tried." They share a laugh, then things begin to heat up again.

He begins to kiss his way back to her lips, lingering along the way to suck gently on the smooth skin of her hips, her abdomen. He loses himself as he begins to kiss and tease her breast, and his finger slips inside her warm, wet center.

Her back begins to arch and her hips to raise, and he knows she's ready for him, he's ready for her too. He reaches for the packet he left next to the mattress and she shocks him when she takes it from him and says, "Let me." He doesn't argue, and as it turns out, her being the one to slip it on gets them both even more aroused.

He positions himself above her and when his tip touches her they look at each other, eyes locked and full of love and longing, and then he slips inside her.

Three Years Later

They've gotten it mostly done. It's done enough that they've been living in it for quite some time. Their room and bathroom are finished, and best of all Beth's happy with them. The kitchen and front room are done, and best of all Beth's happy with those too. He's happy too, but mostly making her happy has been his big concern. He wonders why he worries about it so much. His wife is not demanding or hard to please and their ideas and tastes are quite similar. She's forever telling him, "Daryl, you worry too much." He can't argue with that.

The two extra bedrooms are done except for flooring, but the plywood sub floor isn't awful, it's clean and smooth and doesn't look bad. They'll have enough money to buy the flooring materials in just a couple of months. Then all that's left is to upgrade the original bathroom. She wants him to put in new fixtures and a new floor and he thinks it's a good idea too, but for now it'll do the way it is. They agreed that project comes last.

She quit her job two months ago and if he has his way she won't ever bother going back to work. There's enough to keep her busy at their place and she loves working in the yard. She's got it looking like a picture from a magazine.

Now here they are and he can't quite believe it. What a day it's been, the best. It seems like so many days with her are the best day.

He promised her and himself that once they were married he'd never spend another night without her, and it's a promise he intends to keep. That's why when she asks him to, he doesn't hesitate to crawl up in the hospital bed next to her.

There's not much room but he doesn't mind being so close. He's right where he always wants to be, next to her. It's been a long day and he's worn, but she's worked far harder than he ever has, or ever will, bringing their baby into the world. It was rough and there were scary moments when they thought they'd lose the little guy. But the doc says he's okay, he's going to be just fine.

Beth looks so pale and sleepy but there's a soft smile on her pretty face when she says, "He's a survivor, just like his Daddy, isn't he?"

His index finger lightly skims along the curve of her jaw when he quietly answers, "I think he's more like superman."

She laughs, "Well I'm not changing his name to Clark, he's Daryl John Dixon and that's that."

He's still embarrassed by that, but he laughs when he tells her, "I told ya, you did all the work you get ta pick the name, but Beth, girl, I feel funny giving him the same name as me and he'll probably hate it."

"No Daryl, you'll both be proud."

The End

A/N Thank you so much for reading along. I hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a comment. There's a final chapter photo on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please check that out. I'll be back in about three weeks with a new Bethyl story. In the meantime I'll be posting some other fics. I appreciate all of you so much. Please stay safe, healthy and remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee