Hi Everybody! I am deeply and truly sorry for the delay in getting this chapter and all of my other stories updated. I am not really one for leaving readers hanging, and I know how annoying it is when you are enjoying a story and then it just stops. I had to put my beloved dog Mackey down at the beginning of December after having him for over 14 years (he would have been 15 on the 26th of December) and that, on top of traveling to Florida to visit my family over the holidays just left me with no writing spirt. But I think I have found it again and I promise I will start working on all of my fics again. I love all of you and thank you so much for continuing to read and follow everything I do. So now, onto the next chapter, hope you like it.
"No" Beth's voice comes out as more of a whimper and just as she begins to fall, Daryl's arms are around her, picking her up and cradling her to his chest.
"Oh my god Bethy" Maggie cried as she rushed over to check on her, Hershel right beside her.
"Jus' passed out. Gotta place I can lay 'er?" Daryl grumbled out, his eyes going from Hershel's back down to Beth's, hoping that's really all that it is.
"Yeah, this way" the farmer explains as he moves toward the door of the farmhouse, Maggie moving out of the way for Daryl but he can feel her right behind him, gripping Beth's limp hand.
"Lay her down right here" Hershel states as he motions for Daryl to put her on the couch in front of him. Daryl gently bends down and places her on the couch, his hand gently moving the hair off of her face before he catches himself and steps back. 'Stupid, can't be touch'in 'er like that, especially in front of her Daddy. He is gunna get his shot gun after ya Baby Brother' Merle's voice growled out. But as he turned to look at Hershel, all he sees in the farmers face is a slight smile as he nods at Daryl and then leans down on one knee in front of Beth.
"My sweet Doodlebug. Can't believe you came home to us" he whispered as he kissed her forehead. A part of Daryl felt weird watching it, like he was invading a special family moment. 'A family moment he never had, no Dixon ever had' he thought angrily. But before he could start to move back toward the door Maggie came out of the kitchen, handing her Dad a bowl filled with water and motioning for Daryl to sit down, giving him a glass of lemonade. He very gently sat down on the edge of one of the chairs, not wanting to get it dirty from his nasty clothes. Everything in the house looked lived in, cozy but still clean. Not something a Dixon was ever supposed to be in. He looked down at the glass in his hand, it was actually cold. He had to hand it to the old man, keeping things going around here like he had, especially after his wife and boy got killed, took guts. He could see were Beth got it from.
"Can you tell me what happened to her? How did you all meet?" Hershel asked, his voice just above a whisper as he continued to wipe Beth's face and arms down. Daryl looked up, met the farmers eyes and then looked at Beth as a small smile formed on his lips.
"Two of the guys that were in our group, Glenn and T'Dogg, they found Beth on the side of the road after her truck broke down outside of Atlanta"
"That damn truck was a piece of shit" Maggie broke in with a snort, causing Hershel to look up at her with his eyebrow raised.
"Sorry Daddy, but it was" she stated with the slightest of shrugs. Daryl chucked slightly, cuz he had to agree with her and continued.
"Well I saw Beth one night arguin' with the guy that thought he was leadin' our group and she went off cryin'. Don't know what possessed me, but I followed 'er. She told me about the farm and about ya'll and how she was going to get back, even if Shane (that's the guy that thought he was the leader) didn't help. She said she would go alone." He said as he drifted his gaze back over to Beth's on the couch "Got a stubborn girl there"
"I'm not stubborn you jerk" Beth's soft voice filled the air and caused him to release a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Please….stubborn as they come" Daryl continued, a small smirk on his face again. "She also got into a few arguments in camp before we left" Adding that, not being able to help himself after he saw her open her eyes and try to glare at him.
"Well they were being horrible to you. Next time I won't do nothing to protect ya" she said, the stubbornness on her face in the wake of her still wooziness proving Daryl's point caused both Hershel and Maggie, both forgotten while Daryl and Beth bantered to burst out laughing.
"We missed you Doodlebug" Hershel said down to his daughter, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. She smiled into the embrace and then looked over at Daryl. The smile on her face made every fiber of his being sizzle. She mouthed 'thank you' and he could do nothing but nod in return. The girl and her smile left him breathless.
"I missed you too Daddy. So I take it you got room for me and Daryl to stay? I told him that he could stay as long as he wanted" Beth stated as she pulled away from Hershel. Daryl wanted to hide, he could feel the redness moving up his neck at just the look of pure determination on Beth's face. She wasn't going to take no for an answer and what if Hershel didn't want him here. He couldn't be the cause of a rift between this girl and her family. He would leave first without her. That thought alone sent a cold chill down his spine. 'When did I get so attached to her?'
"Of course we have room for both of you. Daryl is welcome to stay for as long as he likes. " Hershel's words broke Daryl out of his thoughts, shocking him. He really had thought the old man would not let him stay. No matter how nice he was when he met him, he didn't think the man would want some redneck asshole around his daughters, but Hershel was not looking at him like most people looked at him. Hershel was looking at him with welcoming in his eyes. Hell even Maggie had lost most of her hesitant look.
"We got a few empty rooms" Maggie started as she took Daryl's now empty glass from him.
"Naw, I got a tent in the truck, I can just sit that up outside. Don't want to be a burden" he replied gruffly, his hand instantly rubbing the back of his neck. He really was not sure how to handle all of these people being so nice to him so suddenly. With the exception of Beth, none of them knew him. It was because of her that they were even giving him a chance.
"Nonsense Son, you are staying inside the house. Now, who is hungry? We can discuss all of this over dinner. You two look like you could use a good meal" Hershel said as he stood up slowly from the side of the couch. Daryl instantly reached out to help him, Merle's voice in his head calling him 'pussy' as he did. "Thanks, Son" he replied, a smile in his eyes as Daryl let him go and backed up a little. Daryl could feel his neck starting to get red again as he watched Hershel and Maggie walk toward the kitchen, leaving Beth and Daryl in the living room. Beth moved slowly into a sitting position and sighed, folding her hands into her lap.
"Ya doin' alright?" he asked, instantly regretting it. Of course she isn't doing alright ya dumbass!
"Yeah, it's just so much to take in. Coming back, seeing them, then finding out about Momma and Shawn. Guess I wasn't strong enough to handle it" she replied, still looking at her hands.
"Naw, you are plenty strong Beth" Daryl replied, covering her tiny hands with one of his big ones. "Nobody can handle all of that in one day, on top of not eating a lot and all the traveling an everythin' else we been thru in a few days' time. Even I have felt light headed a few times in the past few days."
"Yeah but you didn't pass out" she replied with a little frown
"Yeah, I had to get yer skinny ass 'ere. I am gunna pass out tonight though. I 'ear there is a soft bed just callin' my name" he replied with a smirk, causing her to giggle and lightly hit his arm.
"Come on my brave savior, let's get something to eat before they come looking for us" she said as she started to stand, Daryl by her side in an instant making sure she was steady. 'Such a pussy Baby Brother' his brother's voice sneered. At this moment he didn't care what Merle's voice said. He could smell something coming from the kitchen the likes of which he had not smelled in a long time, if ever and he was still by Beth's side. One day soon he figured she would wise up and tell him to leave, because he fucked something up like Dixon's do. But right now he was going to enjoy it and grabbed her hand, giving her the strength she needed to go into the kitchen and learn more about what happened to her Momma and brother. She flashed him a beautiful smile before they walked in and he thought to himself 'Yeah, I probably am a pussy'