From the night that Daryl finally got the new engine together on, the truck ran like brand new. Which Beth would be eternally grateful for. She'd written off the old Ford, like so many other things in her life, but there was a sense of hope renewed in her every time a clean twist of the key ignited it. She would also admit that it was a whole hell of a lot more convenient to have the truck around again. Though she'd gotten use to waking up and walking to the diner for her shifts, she secretly enjoyed to steal extra the minutes of sipping coffee with Daryl, even though that time with him seemed to dwindle.

Her level comfort around the redneck grew with every passing week. Though she didn't know if he could say the same for her. There were times where she thought he was completely over having her as a roommate, or even a friend. He would never hold eye contact with her, and sometimes it seemed he even recoiled at her touch – no matter how innocent or nonchalant it was. She tried her best to move passed his unwarranted cold shoulder the best she could though.

One morning Beth had even told him that, until she could pay him back for the engine, the truck was his to use freely. It was on small thing she could do to show him how grateful he was. Although, the offer fell flat as he continued to race around town on his damn motorcycle. She urged him to take the offer so she didn't feel like a freeloader – more than once. The first time he asked to borrow the truck, however, was actually on Merle's behalf, and Beth nearly had a fit.

Daryl had put a lot of consideration into even asking her, seeing as it Merle was…well…Merle and Beth was Beth. But his brother's bike was out of commission thanks a very unfortunate encounter with certain Sheriff Rick going to visit his very pregnant wife, and one too many beers to be riding home. Merle had sworn up and down to Daryl that he didn't it for a day, a day and a half at most, and that he just needed it to go visit a "lady friend" a county or two over. Although, he didn't exactly put in those terms. Beth did eventually agree. But, she said she would only say yes if Merle asked himself. This was partly because she wanted to keep her promise to Daryl, but mostly because she wanted to see Merle grovel a little.

Daryl practically dragged him to the cabin to do so.

The three of them sat silently at the kitchen table for a while. Merle had his arms crossed, a scowl on him face, and his eyes were shifting every direction. He hadn't been back since Beth moved in, and hadn't seen the place so clean in his lifetime.

"Gotta get me a live-in maid," Merle mumbled, finally breaking the silence.

"Merle," Daryl warned. "You came here for a reason, didn't you?"

"Right." Merle grumbled and turned to Beth. "Listen, Blondie, are you really gonna stand between a man and some pussy?"

Though Beth knew what Merle said was for shock value, she could feel her cheeks going red. Then she went redder, angry that she'd let him get under her skin so quickly, when she'd become better at his games than he was. She glanced over at Daryl, who looked like he was about to tear his brother a new one. In fact, was about to open his mouth when she responded.

"Well," Beth said, as she pressed her finger tips into the table and pushed herself up from chair, "while I would rather bury myself in a fire ant's nest than be in the vicinity of you and some pussy, you're just going to have to find a different mode of transportation now."

Beth watched as Daryl stifled his laughter, whether it was from her using the word pussy, or the immediate drop in Merle's face that caused it though, she did not know. "AWWWWH COME ON, BLONDIE," Merle began to whine.

"Sorry?" Beth found it hard to not laugh herself.

"Okay, okay…" Merle's voice dropped. "Can I borrow the truck?"

"I'd say please, Merle." Daryl said, this time unable to hide his smirked or the laugh bubbling in his throat.

"Like hell…" Merle began to raise his voice again, until a moment of clarity. "Can I please borrow the damn truck?" Knowing that was the best she was going to get, Beth told him to meet her outside as she went to go get the keys from her room. Merle was out the door immediately, but Daryl hung back for a few seconds, before he went to give his brother shit.

"Hey." Daryl looked at her for a brief moment. "Thanks, I know borrowing by proxy wasn't in the fine print."

"The things I do for you Daryl Dixon," Beth exasperated herself in a teasing manner. She tried to get him to hold eye contact with her for more than five as she smiled, but he looked away as soon as he was done speaking. "Right, I'll get the keys."

Merle and Daryl where waiting right by the truck and its makeshift spot beside Daryl's motorcycle. Before it was fixed, obviously there only vehicle to come in and out of the area was the bike and there had been a thin path and two small tire dents in the grass. It had taken a couple weeks to really mow down the terrain for the truck, but now there was a wider path and four new dents.

"Please. Please, please, please take care of it!" Beth tossed him the keys, which Merle surprisingly caught. "Don't smoke in it, and don't you dare drink and drive in it."

"Alright," Merle grumbled and he hoisted himself into the truck and fired it up. "But just remember you said nothing 'about not bang in the bed of it."

"MERLE DIXON!" Beth yelled over the sound of him revving the engine and speeding off. Even after he was long gone, she could hear him cackling.

. . .

Even though it was for just for one shift, Beth dreaded next morning when she had to wake up and speed around the house like a crazy person to get to work on time. In fact, she was up so early that even Daryl was still in bed, which was an uncommon occurrence. Sometimes she thought he never slept. She'd be happy when Merle was back with the truck. His day and a half would be up by the evening, and hopefully he'd bring it to Lori's so she didn't have to talk home.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case, as she sat at the bar and waited; and it came to the point where she was far too deep into her whiskey to drive, even if he did magically show up. She hadn't meant to drink that much, but she'd started to get a little worried. Not just for the truck, but for Merle as well.

"I'm sure it'll be at the house by the time you get back," Lori said, trying to make an attempt to calm Beth's nerves. She knew it was irrational to be worried, but the last time someone took a vehicle that belonged to her, then didn't come back. "And we both know Merle isn't the most reliable with time management."

"Yeah, I know…" Beth held back a hiccup, which was a sign that she needed to leave. What Lori said was true though, and while it was a minor inconvenience for Beth not to have the truck, it was a reassuring fact as she paid her tab and trekked back to the cabin.

The truck was definitely not parked outside when she got there. But Daryl was sitting and mapping as she walked inside. It was the first time she'd seen him all day, and she was pretty sure he hadn't left the house. Beth walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder, maybe a little closer than she had intended.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, trying to hide the fact that he was sniffing the air around them.

"Your brother…" Beth tapped Daryl's shoulder with her finger with every syllable, "…isn't back yet."

"Yeah, I know," Daryl sighed. "What time do you work tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Beth cried, "You don't think he's going to be back by tomorrow!?"

"That's not what I said, Beth." Daryl got up to face her. "How much exactly did you drink?"

"Well, I was waiting for your brother..." Beth absentmindedly took a step toward him, "…for a very long time."

For a moment, Beth was reminded of the first time she'd been drunk in the kitchen with Daryl and although she didn't want to recreate the entirety of that night, she didn't mind the proximity. Something he never seemed to allow between them anymore, though she couldn't pin-point the moment he decided to do so.

"Alright." Daryl took a tell back from her. "Why don't you go to bed?"

"But what about the truck?" Beth caught herself from taking another step toward him that time, and stopped herself.

"It will be back in the morning."

"Promise…" Beth held up her pinky and looked him dead in the eye.

Daryl looked away, not knowing to laugh or feel bad. "I'm not doing that…but I promise."

"Good."

"Good." He repeated. "Now go to bed."