The next week breezed by, even if the pace of Beth's work slowed. The farm had never been short on chores that needed doing and Beth was finally allowing herself the chance to pause and take care of more than just the renovations. They accomplished more when Shane wasn't at work, as they always had, both pushing to keep up with the other. Some things never changed. Still, they were learning to take breaks.

A few times they hit the jackpot and a thunderstorm would roll in during the evening hours, blessing everyone with a few hours of relief from the heat. Beth would make them both a glass of tea and they'd take it outside to sip and watch nature's show until the storm passed and they were both still rocking and slapping mosquitoes. She'd tell him stories about growing up on the farm or things she'd learned at school and working with her father, and he'd always ask the right questions. In return, she listened to his stories, some of which happened before she was even born, not that it seemed to matter to either of them. Eventually, they'd both quiet down and Beth would glance over at his strong forearm, unable to keep herself from tracing a finger or two over the muscles, until his hand claimed hers and their fingers intertwined, rocking in comfortable silence.

Beth never pulled away and neither did Shane. Not even when a neighbor stopped by with a pie or when Gabriel visited to pray over Hershel and ask Shane's advice about some repairs at the church. Instead, Shane stayed put while the two men troubleshot together, until Gabriel had what he needed and went on his way. If the visitors had anything to say they kept it to themselves and there were plenty of people who had a chance. It seemed as though the steady stream of visitors that wanted to pay their last respects, though they wouldn't admit that was what they were doing, was slowly increasing like they all knew it surely couldn't be much longer.

Still, Beth couldn't find it in herself to rush their projects anymore.

Seven days into the cabinets, the last coat of paint was on and all that was left was putting it all back together again and cleaning up. Instead, Beth found herself folding laundry in the living room. It was pushing 7 pm, Shane would be home very soon, and Patricia and Denise were just finishing the last check on Hershel for the night.

"I'm surprised you ain't in there breaking your back," Patricia said, the two women coming downstairs from Hershel's bedroom. "After all of this, you should be in the best shape of your life."

Beth did feel like she was in the best shape of her life and it wasn't from working hard all day but from all the sweating at night, when Shane's name was rolling off her lips and her thighs wrapped around his hips. Of course, she kept that to herself.

"Taking a little break," she answered instead.

"By the looks of it, you two have to be almost finished."

It was Denise that commented and Beth couldn't help it, she smiled with pride. Maybe she could rest her sore muscles but she could also still talk at length about what they'd accomplished.

"We are," Beth confirmed. "Probably tomorrow. Maybe even tonight if we worked really hard."

"You've gotta be relieved," Denise continued. "That was a hell of a project."

"It was. But now that it's coming together? Definitely worth it."

"What's next on the list?"

Patricia spoke that time, both her and Denise sitting down on the couch next to Beth as she sorted her tank tops and shorts, cursing herself for waiting so long to do laundry. It would probably take longer than the cabinets.

"Haven't decided yet."

"Either way, potential buyers will appreciate all the hard work," Denise told her.

Beth hesitated before answering, staring down at the clothes in her hands. She tried to imagine a prospective buyer walking through her kitchen as a realtor explained how the previous residents had did all the cabinet work with their own two hands. Not just the cabinets but every other little thing Beth and Shane had spent days sweating to fix. They wouldn't appreciate that Shane had spent extra time pouring over paint colors or that Beth had returned three times to the hardware store just to make sure they had exactly the right paintbrushes for the job. They'd nod, smile, and probably make plans to destroy it all at a later date, maybe right after closing, for something more modern.

"No," Beth answered, finally glancing towards her friends. "No, they won't."

"Sorry?" Patricia asked.

"Potential buyers won't appreciate the hard work," Beth continued, smiling when she realized what she was about to say. Maybe she'd just decided or maybe she'd known all along. Maybe it was to blame for her recent ability to slow down. Whatever it was, her next words were honest. "Because there won't be any potential buyers. I'm not selling, I'm keeping the farm."

"You're serious?" Denise asked, grinning almost as wide as Beth.

"Yeah," Beth nodded. "There's no way I can sell this place now. Not after all the work I'm putting into it. It was stupid to even consider. I don't wanna live in Atlanta, stuffed into a two-bedroom apartment with Maggie."

"Have you told her this yet?"

Beth turned to Patricia and shook her head.

"No. Not yet. But I will. I think I'm gonna offer to sell the land we don't use, she can take the money. I'll take the house. It's a pretty fair trade. She'll kick up a fuss, but she'll deal."

"What about Shane, you tell him?"

"Nope," Beth answered.

She knew he'd be happy for her. Hell, she was happy for herself. By seven o'clock any energy she possessed had usually been zapped away by the oppressive heat but Beth bounced a little in her seat, ready to stake her claim on the house that had always been meant to belong to her. Relief from no longer having to face giving it away helped too. It made Patricia's next question easier, Beth actually laughing instead blushing.

"Well, have you at least told the poor man he's missing his underpants?" Patricia asked, holding up a pair of Shane's boxer briefs that had been sitting on the top of Beth's laundry pile.

The other two women cackled and Beth snatched them from Patricia's hand, folding them quickly and burying them under her shorts.

"I'm pretty sure he knows," Beth answered, trying not to say anything more. It was a good attempt, but a failed one.

"So you two…" Denise said. "I mean, I don't mean to pry. But I've just been wondering. I've seen a few things that made me question..."

"What things?" Beth asked, tilting her head in amusement.

"I don't know. I mean, when I used to come in the mornings, he was always walking over from his place too. But now he's already here, usually half-naked. And I don't know...it was never my place to ask as Hershel's help if you were-"

"Honey, you aren't just help. You're a friend," Patricia interrupted. "And yes, yes they are."

"So you two are dating?" Denise questioned, looking to Beth to confirm it.

Beth opened her mouth to answer but immediately closed it again. The word dating just didn't fit but she knew they were expecting some sort of answer, some type of confirmation. Dating felt too formal and all wrong. Beth had never waited eagerly for him to ask her out, there'd been no awkward first dates over dinner where they told each other senseless random facts. She'd never had to sweat to see if he'd call her again or questioned what she should wear. But it also was still so new, so very fresh, whatever it was. They'd simply fallen into each other and how did she explain that?

"It's just...it is what it is," Beth finally answered, knowing it wasn't much to go on. But at least it was truthful.

"Well, whatever it is...please tell us it's good," Patricia begged. "Ain't no use in having a handyman if those hands aren't skilled in other areas."

"Patricia!"

"Oh trust me," the older woman went on, ignoring Beth's objection. "There wasn't nothing my Otis couldn't do except, sadly, get me-"

"Okay," Beth said. "We get it. Please."

Beth wanted nothing more than for Patricia to quiet down. She'd never been so tempted to drink some bleach to cleanse her mind of the images permanently seared into her brain.

"Well, when you get a chance you have to tell him thanks, from me and Tara," Denise said, clearly sensing the need for a topic change. "Once she starts I'll actually be able to see my girlfriend when I get home. No more of this waking up when she's going to bed stuff."

"I will," Beth assured her. "I think he's happy to be getting a partner again, to be honest."

"Tara's nervous. That guy she's with now? He doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. Which I hate - I don't trust him out there with her. But I think she's afraid she's gonna make a fool of herself in front of someone so experienced."

"She won't," Beth promised. "I mean...she might."

They both laughed but Beth forged ahead, knowing from experience how true her next words were.

"Even if she does, Shane's a great teacher. I mean he's blunt as hell and that smart-ass mouth is sharp but he won't make her feel foolish. Except...once he knows she can take it, anyway."

As soon as she was finished speaking the front door opened and he walked inside, wearing the expression of a man who knew he was being talked about. The three heads that immediately turned to look at him didn't help matters.

Denise and Patricia stood up as he approached, Patricia offering to walk Denise to her car, intentionally leaving them alone.

"Y'all gossipin'?"

"Maybe," Beth answered him, biting down on her bottom lip before smiling. "Nothing bad."

"That right? Cuz y'all look guilty as shit."

He was joking, in a good mood, but Beth still held back on telling him about her decision over the house. She'd tell him when the time was right, not the moment he walked through the door.

The laundry was still calling her name and Beth returned to folding it, surprised when Shane picked up a shirt to help speed the process along.

"I didn't realize you were so domesticated," she told him when he pulled a pair of jeans from the basket next.

"What? You think my mama's been ironing my uniforms this whole time?"

"No. But speaking of which, you should probably take it off," she told him.

"Already? Patricia might catch-"

"Not what I meant. But the kitchen...we could finish it tonight if we really wanted. I mean, after you take a moment anyway, we don't have to right this second."

"The hell you mean? Let's do it," he answered, tossing the jeans back in the laundry basket and unsnapping his gun belt. "I don't work tomorrow anyway."

"You're serious? We could be up all night."

"That's fine. You wanted your cabinets, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then c'mon, girl."

When he reached his hand out to help her off the couch, Beth took it, feeling giddy at the thought of completion.

It didn't take all night. Just until 2 am. The work was far less tedious when the sun was down and Shane didn't sweat nearly as much but he did drink his weight in coffee, as did Beth. She'd hold a door in place while he screwed in the hinges, until every last drawer, handle, and knob had been placed. When they weren't doing that their focus was on putting everything back in the cabinets, Beth rearranging it all to suit her own needs, until the kitchen table and counters were cleared off. Shane had wanted Beth to stop and admire her handy work but she kept going, insisting they clean away any dust from the sanding, even pulling out the broom and taking the protective plastic wrap to the garbage.

Her energy was contagious and Shane blamed the massive amounts of caffeine.

Shane took it upon himself to start mopping. He knew it was the final touch, to erase away all the prints from his boots and her Converse. Beth didn't have to say it but Shane knew she wanted to wake up the next day to a sparkling, brand new kitchen that was in perfect order. He made quick work of mopping them both into a spot by the kitchen table, where they leaned and stared at the finished product.

"Well?" Shane asked.

"Well, it looks amazing. I feel bad keeping us up so late though."

She hadn't needed to answer, Shane could tell by her smile that she was excited. It was the grin she was known for, her blue eyes aflame with life - worth every hour of missed sleep.

"It was worth it," he told her, meaning every word.

"I still feel bad."

"Don't. Look at it this way - it'll be a nice story to tell one day. How you stayed up all night to finally get your kitchen, until it was 3 am and you were mopped into a corner and grinning like a fool."

As soon as he said it, Shane realized his mistake. It wasn't her kitchen. At least, it wouldn't be for long if she forged ahead with her plan. The story wouldn't sound nearly as good in Atlanta.

"Sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine," she said, turning to face him and cutting him off.

"I wasn't thinkin'. I know you're looking at this and it probably hurts like a bitch knowing you gotta give it all away."

"Nope," Beth answered, shaking her head.

Why the hell was she still smiling? Delirium? Shane grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, giving her hips a gentle squeeze of assurance.

"I'm not sad," she went on, meeting his eyes. "Because I'm not giving it away."

"Sorry, selling."

"No." That time she giggled and before Shane could ask, she went on, relieving Shane of a weight he hadn't realized had even been on his shoulders. "I'm not selling this house, Shane. I can't, there's no way. Not after all-"

He kissed her before she could even finish the sentence. Long, deep, until they were forehead to forehead and she sighed against him.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah. I'm positive. Maggie can pry it from my cold dead fingers but I don't think it'll come to that."

Shane breathed her in, until the fragrance of her shampoo was more overpowering than the scent of the Pine-Sol he'd used on the floor, until he had his fill, until he remembered he didn't need to save it to memory because she wouldn't be going anywhere. He kissed her lips again, her cheek, her forehead. Judging by how tightly she clung to his belt loops the burn of his stubble on her soft skin was no bother.

"I'm happy for you," he whispered.

"Thank you."

"Makes all my work worth it."

"Our work," Beth corrected, both of them laughing when she jabbed him in the side. "I just...I couldn't sell it after everything we've done. It's mine."

She pulled away just enough to marvel at her completed kitchen and as Shane watched her beam with pride, it made him do the same. Maybe it was pushing 3 am, maybe they did need to go to bed before the sun came up but Shane couldn't resist - he brushed a few blonde strands of her hair away, planting a smooth kiss on her neck, then another, until he felt a shiver go down her body.

"You know what you have to do now?" he asked, pausing between each kiss to complete his thought.

"Hmm?"

"You gotta christen it."

The next kiss he planted was right in the crook of her neck, the soft plain of flesh where he could feel her pulse quicken with his tongue.

"But it's so late," she mumbled, but her body whistled a different tune. She pulled him tighter, applying pressure right below Shane's belt buckle. "I'd hate to work you so hard, so late."

"I think I can manage."

"You up for the job, you're sure?"

He sucked her skin, both of them inhaling sharply when Beth's hands wrapped around his neck to draw him closer. Shane's grip ventured to her tiny waist and held her there, feeling himself grow stiff against her denim shorts.

"I'm up," he grunted. "Ain't that old yet."

"Mmm, prove it then, old man."

He'd never been one to turn down a challenge.

Backing her up against the table, Shane pressed against her, straining to add as much pressure as possible, forcing a gasp from between her lips. It was loud - too loud, given the hour, and he was quick to shush her, his hands coming to claim her ass until her legs wrapped around his waist and he lifted her from the floor in one easy motion, sitting her ass back down onto the ledge.

The thighs stayed wrapped around him, Beth's ankles crossed tightly behind his ass after kicking off her sneakers. When he claimed her mouth again, Beth whimpered, parting her lips to allow his tongue to slip in, deepening the kiss. The uniform khakis were still on, growing uncomfortably tight, causing Shane to grind against her center, allowing Beth to feel how very up for the job he was. She clutched onto his shoulders as her legs tightened, egging him on, until the wooden table began to creak, objecting to the weight.

In no time at all Beth was reaching between their bodies, an eager hand already unbuttoning her shorts. Shane let out a chuckle as he helped her lift her ass up, just long enough to work the shorts down her legs, until he was once again between her thighs.

"Wait," she whispered, moaning as Shane ran his hands over the newly exposed flesh. "What about..."

Her hands were going for the panties until Shane yanked her away, planting a rough kiss against her lips.

"Nah, those stay on."

"Really? You got a kink I don't know about?"

"Mmmm, just making it easier for ya when we get caught."

"Mhmm, I'm sure."

Now that she was free of her shorts Shane could smell her arousal, hear it too, when he ran a quick hand over her panties. His cock twitched as he stroked her again, and again, until he felt the legs around him tremble.

With one hand he stroked over her swollen lips, with the other he pulled away just enough to unfasten his belt buckle, until he could inch his pants down his ass and free his aching cock. Shane gave himself a stroke too, his nuts clenching, ready to unload.

She was already perched on the ledge, ready to go, and in no time at all Shane had her underwear pushed to the side, just enough to slide into her, hard, burying himself, both their moans echoing out. She was wet and slick, everything he needed, and Shane had to take a moment to catch his breath before he thrusted again. Every roll of his hips was brutal and fast, each one pushing Beth back until finally, Shane grabbed her under her knees, his hands gripping the sweaty flesh to keep her in place and spread open for him.

When his name rolled off her tongue, Shane met her gaze, his smile gentle despite the harsh pump of his hips. She held his eyes, meeting him thrust for thrust, their bodies working together when he felt that first flicker of her walls. He was closing in too, approaching that peak, every thrust making him grunt as Beth watched, neither of them ever breaking eye contact.

When her fluttering walls gripped him tighter Shane gave it his all, his muscles tight, until Beth had to balance herself on the palms of her hands to steady them both.

Not until he got her there, right on the edge, did Beth shut her eyes as she reached the breaking point. Her climax ignited his too. Shane grinded into her a few more times for safe measure, never pulling out, so as to not spill a single drop on the surface typically reserved for meals.

By the time all was said and done they were a sweaty mess of tangled limbs, Shane still standing there with his boots on and his ass out.

"Remind me to eat at the counter tomorrow," Beth finally said as her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him in place until they were both steady enough to move. "Or at least clean it up before we go to bed."

"No," Shane begged, resting his sweaty forehead against her shoulder. "No more cleaning. Just bed."

"Just bed? I thought you were up for the job," Beth teased.

"I did my job, Sergeant."

He kissed her shoulder when she stroked his back, both of them swaying for a beat longer before finally pulling away as Shane righted himself.

It wasn't until they'd climb the stairs and collapsed into her bed that he realized they'd left her shorts somewhere on the kitchen floor.

It was another late start when they woke up, closer to noon than morning. While Shane showered Beth crept downstairs, just to make sure she hadn't dreamed up the night before. But no, her cabinets really were complete and it made even the coldest of Patricia's coffee taste good. She drank it over the kitchen sink, grinning like a fool, taking a quick picture with her phone to send to Maggie later. It'd be a good lead-in for the conversation that needed to happen once Beth was ready.

By lunchtime, everyone's stomachs were growling. Patricia suggested a nice home-cooked meal to break everything in but Beth wasn't ready to already mess it all up. Not when they'd spent hours perfecting it. When Shane suggested steaks on the grill it was easy to agree.

Beth volunteered to drive into town for the meat, she knew Shane was probably tired of the drive after work, and in no time at all, she was speeding down the highway with the windows down and the radio blasting.

Her brain was full of ideas as the miles passed by. Maybe they'd work on her daddy's old office next, she was ready to get her cash flowing. But it wouldn't cover everything and she knew supplementing with a few days a week at a veterinarian's office in town would be best in the long run. A lot of times her father had bartered with folks who brought him a sick animal and while it'd be nice to trade some care for lawn work Beth knew it wouldn't be enough, not if she wanted to keep up the renovations, especially getting some central air.

At the market, she parked her daddy's truck under a shady tree and killed the engine, distracted by what ingredients she wanted for their salad. The tomatoes would never be as fresh as the ones they used to grow but they'd do and Beth was craving something cold and juicy. Maybe a red onion too, a little kick would be nice. She unpeeled her sweaty thighs from the vinyl seats as she got out, wiggling the handle twice to make sure the door was truly shut. The truck still ran like a dream but it was getting cranky in its old age.

It was while her back was turned she heard her name being called, at least she thought it was her name.

"Beth?"

The second time she was positive but she couldn't quite place the voice until she turned around to face him.

Rick Grimes.