I am so very sorry for the delay in getting this to you. I have really no excuse except that life has gotten away from me and I seemed to have gotten addicted to Hermione fics that include either Draco, Severus or Theo...there I said it, I have a problem. Ok, onto the story. I hope you love it as much as I do because I adore this chapter if I do say so myself.
Daryl watched Beth as she stared out the passenger side window. She had gotten quiet after they actually got out of the city and got closer to the farm. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but he didn't like the small frown that had graced her lips. He had to find something that would put the smile back 'You are such a pussy Baby Brother! 'Merle's voice taunted him in his mind. He shook his head, clearing his brother's voice , turning back to the road as he spoke.
"Tell me 'bout yer family" he growled out, rougher than he intended since he hadn't spoke for a little while. He saw her blond hair whip around at him and turned to see the smile he had been missing start to form on her lips. 'There, that's better' he thought as he heard Merle laugh and say 'Pussy'
"What do ya want to know?" She asked, her smile still small but he could see the mixture of excitement and worry in her eyes, which he understood totally. Neither one of them knew what they were driving into. What, if anything was left of the farm. It was nerve racking for him, so he could just imagine what she felt like, it was her family after all.
"Tell me 'bout 'em. So I know what I'm headin' inta" he said as he threw a small smirk her way with a small twist of his head toward her. He was instantly rewarded with a brighter smile.
"Well there is my Daddy, Hershel. He was the town vet before everything went down. He was strict on us growing up….."
"What do ya mean strick?" Daryl interrupted, a growl coming from his voice that even surprised him. He didn't even want to think the angel in the seat beside of him had an upbringing like his. His back tingled at the very idea.
"Oh, nothing really bad" she said sweetly, patting Daryl's bicep as she continued. "We had to help around the farm, chores and stuff. Room's had to stay clean, had to go to church every Sunday, couldn't wear make-up, couldn't date till you were 16, but of course that only applied to Maggie and me. Seemed that Shawn had it a little differently, cuz he was the boy" she said with a smile.
"Daddy's do tend to treat their daughters differently than sons…..cuz they know what it was like bein' a boy and what they all want at that age" Daryl grumbled out, causing Beth to chuckle a little.
"That's what he used to say when Maggie would complain about it." She giggled again.
"Maggie's yer older sister right?" he asked, turning to look at her again.
"Yeah, she is. My Daddy had been married before he met my Momma and had Maggie. She is a force of nature, all beautiful and spirited. She never backs down from anything. I used to wish I could be just like her" she said with a sigh.
"Why's that?" He asked, genuinely confused because from where he sat, the girl beside of him was all of those things too.
"She had tons of friends, wasn't shy. Totally beautiful, tall with brown hair and beautiful eyes. She could just talk to anybody, not like me who gets quiet when in a big group and is totally shy" she said, her eyes downcast just a little. He didn't like that the frown was starting to come back, so he had to think fast.
"Not from where I am sittin" he said with a little bit of a chuckle as he pushed her arm. "you certainly weren't shy when you went after Rick and Shane defendin' me. Seemed pretty spirited to me. A little spitfire"
The smile she gave him after his comments caused his heart to thud a little harder. She really was beautiful and he loved that smile. 'Pull yerself together dumbass! She's just a girl'
"Yeah, well….I don't like it when my friends are attacked for no reason" she said with a giggle.
"Friend huh?" he asked, his tone going a little deeper. He really was not sure what this girl was doing to him.
"Yeah, you're my friend Daryl!" she replied, but after moment her smile fell just a little "Don't you see us as friends?"
His breath caught for just a moment. He knew he considered her something. He liked talking to her, having her around. He didn't want anything to happen to her and he made a vow to get her home and keep that smile on her face. Was that a friend? He had never really had one before, so he was not sure. But if it was, then he guessed she was one.
"Yeah, were friends" he grumbled out, causing her smile to go bright again. 'Good job Dixon' he thought to himself. "So keep tellin' me 'bout yer family?"
"Well Shawn, he is my older brother. He is in between me and Maggie. He was my Momma's son from her first marriage. My Daddy adopted him right after they were married. He is a jokester, loves playing pranks. He once died my hair blue during the night. My Momma cried all morning. I loved it myself and was sad that it washed out. He was grounded for a month for that one." She said, another giggle escaping her lips as she remembered the memory.
"And you're Momma?" he asked, pulling her out of the memory
"My Momma's name is Annette. She met my Daddy after her husband passed away. She is 20 years younger than him, and people told her that it would never work, but she knew she loved him and that nothing is more powerful than love. Not an age gap, not different upbringing's, nothing is stronger than the love that one person has for the other. She has told me that a few times over the years and I see how Momma and Daddy are together and I totally believe it. Daddy's father was a horrible, hateful man and used to hurt him and his mom" Daryl felt a chill go thru his body at the very real visual that Beth painted. "He hated my Grandfather so much that he left the farm when was 16 and didn't come back till he was dead. While my Daddy was married to Jo, Maggie's mom, he drank like crazy. He always said it was when he came home one night and had scared Jo with his anger that the next morning he stopped, he couldn't do that to her or his child. He never allowed alcohol in the house, but of course we have all tried it. " she said, then let out a light sigh as she continued, the smile coming back on her face. "That's how I know though that what Momma said is true. She had a wonderful upbringing, and they are total opposites but they came together and I have never seen two people more in love than them. The age difference, their different upbringing's, nothing stopped their love"
Daryl just sat there, listening to her for a few moments before he spoke.
"Well I'm glad they found each other cuz if not the pain in my ass that is you would not be 'ere" he said, trying to sound gruff but failing when the smirk came on his lips. Her eyes flashed a bright blue as she giggled.
"Funny, you're the pain in the ass" she said as she pushed on his arm again.
"Naw, I have it on good authority that you are the pain, not me" he said, his smirk still laying on his lips
"Oh yeah, who's authority?" she asked, her eyebrow raised and the smile still bright.
"Mine…..I's driving so what I say goes….yer the pain" he said, causing her to let loose a stream of giggles that made his chest feel tight. 'God I love that sound' he thought to himself as he turned his attention back to the road.
"Oh my" Beth breathed out after pulling herself together from the giggles.
"What? Somethin' wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.
"Naw, up there where that red mailbox is, make a right. That's my drive" she said softly. He nodded as he slowed down to beside the mailbox that had the faded letters GREENE written on it and made the turn. They drove down the dirt road in silence, till a huge white house came into view, surrounded by fields as far as Daryl could see. He started to slow when he saw her panicked eyes. Before he could really think, he took his right hand off of the steering wheel and placed it over her fidgeting one, encasing her small, delicate hand in his huge, caullested one.
"It's gunna be ok. Whatever happen's" he roughly said.
"Yer gunna stay right?" she whispered as she intertwined her fingers with his. He took a deep breath at the feel and turned his attention to their joined hands for a moment and then his eyes met her beautiful blue ones.
"I'll stay as long as you want me too. I ain't goin' nowhere"