One Shot #3

If It Makes You Happy

Daryl liked to keep things simple. He lived a small house on the edge of the woods where he was content. When Beth moved in with him, it had been because he had refused to move to town into an apartment. He hadn't thought she'd be willing to live so far out and away. The only thing he had to change was he got internet out there. She need the internet to chat with Maggie back in Atlanta, and if they couldn't have internet he knew his phone bill would be outrageous. Little by little she started taking over his house and yard. Everything had a proper place now and he was pretty sure he could eat straight off their floors and not get any dust or hair or dirt in his food. She'd even completely reorganized the garage. All his nails, screws and bolts were all in glass jam jars, screwed right over his workbench. She'd bought heavy duty plastic shelves to organize and maximize space and he could actually park his truck, bike and her car in the garage now, even with the TWO deep freezes they had. They had even more room now that Beth had sold her little car. Money was tight, especially since he had all but insisted she stop working.

He remembered walking up to the diner to see if Beth was running late, she had been closing that night. He got out of the truck and leaned against the hood and lit up a smoke when he heard a scream and a crash from inside. He'd never ran so fast in his life. Beth had knocked over a tray of sugar shakers she had been filling when her last customer of the day had walked up behind her and slammed her down on the counter. Daryl had pulled him off just as he had started to reach under her skirt. He had insisted that she not work anymore, they didn't need the money he made enough.

Beth had made sure that they had enough. Now that she was home full time she had time to garden, and since she pickled, froze or jarred everything she grow, they literally only ever had to buy dairy (but only cheese, Hershel brought them butter and milk from the farm) and chicken. The money they saved on groceries went towards what she had been paying towards their bills. Daryl didn't even have a spot of lawn left to mow anymore.

He'd felt bad that she had given up getting manicures and pedicures, but Beth had just kissed him and handed him a bottle of pale pink nail polish and placed her feet in his lap with a smile. Merle had walked in on him painting her toes and he still had yet to live it down, but Beth admiring his work had mostly made it worth it. After she had been "A Stay at Home Girlfriend" for about 3 months she told Daryl she was going to sell her car. His truck was always there if she really need to to get to town since he took his bike most days and she hated driving anyway, even when she did work Daryl was driving her over half the time anyway. Her car, which had been a high school graduation present and about 2 1/2 years old, was like new. She got back almost as much as it would have been worth brand new and promptly put it all in the bank in an equity building account. He had thought she'd slowly spend it on things she liked to buy like makeup, magazines and clothes but she hadn't touched any of it, except to help pay for new roof shingles. She had insisted on helping him pay for half. He wasn't surprised to come home after work to find the table already set, supper ready on the stove and her sitting at the little desk she had with her laptop rolling the coins from her giant jar of loose change. Every three months or so she'd roll it all and add it to their joint chequing account.

"Smells pretty good." Daryl said as he sat on the bench by the door and took off his boots. He'd been framing a new house all day and was tired and sore, and for once hoping for rain. If it rained he'd have the day off and a long weekend. Abraham never risked them getting hurt by working in the rain if they were exposed to it.

"I made a roast and cooked all the potatoes and carrots with it." Beth said abandoning her coins walking over to kiss him hello. "Maggie and Glenn are going to be home this weekend. Can I invite them for supper one night?" Daryl nodded and followed her into the kitchen. Call him old fashioned but he really had found that he liked having a someone to come home to, especially someone as considerate as Beth. She always asked before inviting anyone over, even though she knew he couldn't really do the same for her. Merle just showed up when he felt like it. Beth pulled the pan from the oven and put it on the block of wood Daryl had cut for her to protect the table from hot pans. "Will you carve the meat while I go freshen up?" Beth asked. Daryl nodded and made his way to the sink to wash up while Beth went off to the bathroom to wash the money smell from her hands.

"We got anything planned tonight?" Daryl called over his shoulder as he sliced the meat up.

"I don't think so. I got everything I need to entertain!" Beth said cheerfully as she came back in and sat beside his spot at the head of the table. "You look tired." She said reaching up and rubbing his arm.

"Hard day." He said nodding before sitting down. Beth grabbed his hand and said a quick prayer of thanks before Daryl lifted them each some food. "How was your day?"

"Alright. I managed to get all the laundry done and dried on the clothesline, weeded the gardens, put up some of the butter beans and more tomatoes. Tara called me and there's another litter of puppies that were just abandoned at the SPCA. Daryl they're going to have to put them to sleep if they don't find homes."

"What breed? You want one? Your home all the time now, it'd be alright having a dog." Beth smiled widely and nodded. "Wouldn't be too much money right?" Daryl asked figuring between Tara giving them the dog and Hershel being a vet short of finding a dog on the side of the road it'd be just the cost of a collar and food.

"I don't think so, look I even found a recipe to make him his own doggie treats!" Beth said handing him a printed sheet of paper. "If Tara says yes can we go get him tonight?"

"We don't really have anything for him though. What kind of dog?" Daryl asked again. He really hoped that it wasn't one of those little purse dogs.

"We can stop at Walmart, I'll run in for a bag of kibble and they sell leashes and collars at the dollar store!" Beth said now too excited to eat. Daryl took a few bites and chewed to hide the smile from his face. Beth was so easy to please, he figured he'd love having a dog too. "He's a mix, Tara thinks mostly pitbull though. That's why she thinks they got abandoned. Everyone's afraid of pitbulls. Poor little angels."

"How many were left?" Daryl asked. "Were just getting one right?" Beth shrugged her shoulders.

"Beth?" He asked again.

"There are only 2 left, Tara talked Eugene and Rosita into taking one each. Daryl we can't just take him away from his brother!" Beth reasoned. "You can build them doghouses, they won't be inside that much, the yard's fenced in already."

"How big are they going to get?" Daryl asked, already resigned to the fact he was coming home tonight with 2 puppies.

Beth pulled out another printout. "If they are half lab, like Tara thinks they could be anywhere from 50-80 pounds once they're full grown." Beth said finally taking a bite of her food.

"So full grown they'll be almost the size of you?" Daryl said. "Can you handle that?"

"Well, we'll have to train them." Beth said as she finished her meal and clearing the table before calling Tara. "He said yes to both! We'll be there by 7pm." Daryl listened as Beth excitedly talked to Tara about names and jotted down what needles the puppies had been given already and what she should buy to bring them home. He finished his slice of cake and Beth's too before being pulled from the table to the garage. He'd seen her this excited once and it was when he had taken her to her first outdoor concert to see John Fogerty and a few local bands.

"Calm down." Daryl said with a laugh as he helped her into the truck and drove towards Walmart and the dollar store. He let Beth drag him into both stores and pretended to have an interest as she picked out a blue and green collar and matching leashes. She wandered the aisle and grabbed a few toys and chew sticks and Daryl obediently carried it all the cash and back out to the truck and placed it in the back. Wasn't too bad, they'd need new collars once they grew but Beth had only spent about $15 and he knew a bag of kibble would be about $10 more for a decent sized one. Beth led him straight to the pet aisle at Walmart and pointed to a puppy blend and Daryl lifted it to his shoulder and obediently followed her to the cash. Carol was working and she let out a little laugh as she rang up the food.

"She talk you into a pet?" She asked as Beth handed over over some $1 bills and her rolled coins.

"We're getting two puppies!" Beth exclaimed and clapped her hands jumping on her heels.

"First comes puppies then comes babies." Carol teased as Daryl grabbed the receipt and pulled Beth out of the store.

"Don't worry Daryl, I'm not pregnant." Beth said once he pulled for the parking lot and started on his way to the shelter.

"A baby would be less fuss than these damn dogs." Daryl grumbled as a light rain started. He pulled over and covered the dog food and bag from the dollar store with a plastic tarp. Beth smiled and patted his hand. She all but jumped from the car and took off for the entrance once Daryl had rolled to a stop. He put the car in park and followed her, and found her filling out the paperwork while trying to support the two wiggling puppies. Daryl walked over and took over the paperwork and glared at Tara. "You had to mention that they'd be lonely without the other didn't you?" He asked as he signed and handed the clipboard back. Tara just laughed at him and handed over the vouchers for a few free items at Pet's World and information about puppy safety. Beth was already whispering lovingly to the little mutts and wrapping them in her sweater so they wouldn't get wet on the way to the truck. Daryl placed the cardboard box between them in the front and rolled his eyes when Beth took one of his old flannels and lined the box before placing the puppies inside.

"Let's get them home." She said softly as she buckled and returned her hands to their backs and stroked them as Daryl pulled away for home. The puppies cried softly and Daryl hoped it was just cause they were afraid of the truck. "I think they're afraid of the rain." Beth said leaning over and into the box to give them a kiss. Daryl grunted and turned the wipers up, the rain was really coming down.

"I got a box in the garage. We can make a little bed for them at the foot of ours." Daryl said. "Just for now. I don't want them in there every night." Beth smiled at him and turned her attention back to the puppies. Daryl pulled into the garage and held the door open while Beth set the puppies on the floor and blocked them into the kitchen. Daryl stepped over her barricade with the wooden crate he had and placed it at the end of their bed and helped as Beth puppy proofed the rest of the house while the puppies shared a cup of their kibble and some water. He was glad she agreed to just close their guest room and bathroom doors. By the time he made it back to the kitchen Beth was sitting on her knees with the puppies as the tried to climbed into her arms.

"What do you think we should name them?" Beth asked as she stood with both in her arms and walked towards him. Daryl lifted one and stared at him.

"Pollux and Castor." Daryl said tapping the dog in Beth's arm on the nose when he nipped at Beth's ear. Beth smiled and went through the basket of really old shirts she had, she mostly used them for rags, she had thought she might turn them into a quilt, and made comfortable beds for the puppies before placing them in the bed, where they promptly started to cry and stare at her from their hind legs. Beth climbed on the foot of the bed and hung down so she could reach them. "You got let them cry." Daryl said as he stripped off his clothes and made his way to their bathroom. He climbed in their little standup shower and chuckled as he heard Beth singing the puppies lullabyes. He was relieved when he was met with silence when he got out of the shower, only to curse when he saw that Beth and the two puppies were passed out in his bed. He tried climbing in with them, but was turned off once a puppy ass had ended ended up in his face. He grabbed a pillow and blanket and made his way out to the couch and cursed all creatures, especially the one curled in the crook of Beth's arm.

Daryl woke a short time latter with a crash of thunder and Beth climbing over him with the puppies to curl up between his body and the back of the couch.

"The storm's scaring us." Beth said trembling. Daryl shifted so she could settle with her head on his arms. The puppies licked his face and snuggled in while he adjusted the blankets over them.

"Would make more sense to climb back into bed." He whispered. Beth answered him by wrapping a leg around his and letting out a little snore.

Life with the puppies didn't get much easier either. They were perfectly trained, no accidents, they didn't bite, but those dogs were little perverts. If Daryl was standing beside the bed pulling his pants up and leaned over they'd stick their nose straight up his ass. Which Beth found hilarious. They'd stand with their paws on the bed from their little crate and watch with rapt attention when he and Beth were in bed. They had growled at him when Beth had started to moan, thinking he was hurting her. Merle was on his case about how he was jealous of two mutts and was trying to figure out how to tell Beth it just wasn't working out without breaking her heart.

"Beth?" He called when he got home. He walked into the living room and saw that she had set up their crate behind the couch and was putting them to bed with chew sticks.

"Daddy's home! And he brought you your food!" Beth said lifting Castor in with his brother. Daryl set the food down and pulled Beth into a hug. "I know you haven't been sleeping great. I don't think they'll cry anymore." She added pecking him on the cheek. She let out a little squeak when Daryl lifted her up over his shoulder and carried her to their room and kicked the door shut. The puppies barked from the living room, but eventually curled up with each and buried their heads under their blanket. When Daryl came out later for some water he smiled down at them, he was glad he hadn't had to get rid of them.