I have wound up making a few changes to my original outline.
…
Chapter Sixteen.
It was unexpected to say the least but as soon as the suggestion of her staying with him for a few days left his mouth, he didn't try to take it back because, he realized, he wanted her to come and stay with him. The trailer was too small and neither of them would probably be comfortable but he could only imagine it would be alright.
Hershel took it better than Daryl would have ever thought. He had looked shocked and surprised at first when Beth had told him that she was going to be staying with Daryl for a few days but after a few minutes of silently sitting there and staring at Daryl in such a way, he felt like squirming, Hershel then looked to Beth who looked at her daddy with those big blue, sad eyes of hers and they seemed to be communicating with one another without ever speaking a word.
"Go on then," Hershel said, tilting his chin towards the stairs. "Go and get yourself packed. I need to talk with Daryl for a moment."
Beth had hugged him and kissed him and smiled at Daryl before hurrying past him and they heard her steps on the stairs, fading away as she disappeared upstairs. Daryl looked at Hershel and Hershel looked at him and Daryl was smart enough to feel nervous because even though the man only had one leg, Daryl could sense that this man was a tough son of a bitch and could still kick an ass if he wanted to.
"Beth is one of the most precious things to me in this world," Hershel stated as if Daryl hadn't already been able to figure that out for himself. "But my daughter has gone through something I still can't understand and never will be able to. She's still going through it." Hershel's eyes were steady on him. "My daughter is still sick, Daryl. But when she's with you, I am able to see a bit of the girl she was before."
Daryl wasn't too sure what to say to any of this. Yes, Beth was sick but Beth was tough and he didn't understand why no one in her family was able to see that, too.
"I think spending time with you is good for her," Hershel finished. "But Beth is a good girl and she better come home a good girl."
Daryl felt the back of his neck flush at what Hershel was saying though he had been expecting the man to say something like that in regards to his daughter. How could he not? Hershel was a church-going man and Beth was his youngest daughter who was going off to live with some mechanic in his trailer. And though he liked Beth – a hell of a lot – and felt fiercely attracted to her, Daryl didn't know if he would ever get to that point of doing something like that with her.
And what about her? She was a pretty young woman but he just couldn't imagine her wanting to do anything like that with him. There still seemed so many parts of her that seemed too young and too innocent and in his mind, Daryl knew he didn't want to be the one to take that away from her – no matter how many times he had already imagined running his hands all over her.
"Yes, sir," Daryl said, nodding perhaps a bit too quickly.
"Maggie, stop!" They suddenly heard Beth shout from upstairs. "I'm going!"
Hershel sighed and grabbing his crutches, he pulled himself off from the couch. He began walking towards the stairs but stopped himself beside Daryl, looking at him. "It will be good for Beth to get away from Maggie for a few days," he said. "Ever since Bethy's mother passed and she got sick, Maggie has felt the need to take over the mother role."
Daryl had to practically bite down on his tongue before he blurted something out that he would probably regret. Like how could Hershel just sit around and let Maggie practically take over every facet of Beth's life, making her feel miserable and so damn guilty nearly every damn day of her life?
But he made sure to not say anything. He may have kissed Beth a few times but that still didn't give him a right to know anything concerning the Greene family. It wasn't any of his business. He just knew what he saw and what he saw was he had to get Beth the hell out of there so she could breathe for once.
A moment later, they heard hurried steps down the stairs and it was Beth, her eyes wet but her cheeks dry and there was a gym bag slung over her shoulder. Daryl reached out and took it, slinging it onto his own shoulder.
"I already said goodbye to Shawn," Beth said and then hugged Hershel tightly, the man hugging her in return and patting her on the back. "Bye, daddy. See you in a few days," she said and Daryl found himself wondering just how many days were a few; how many days he wanted it to be.
"Bye Bethy, love you," Hershel said.
"Love you, too," Beth said as she pulled back and after giving Hershel one more smile, she looked back to Daryl, her smile softening. "Ready?" She asked.
"Definitely," Daryl didn't hesitate in nodding his head and he felt the need to toss her over his shoulder then and carry her out of there. Instead, he stepped aside so she could exit the house first and he and Hershel exchanged one last look and head nod before Daryl followed after her.
He strapped her bag down to the back of his bike and then climbed on, Beth immediately climbing on behind him with her arms around his waist. The ride back to his trailer was only a few minutes away and yet, it felt like he had just taken her far into another world; and it was exactly what she needed because when she stepped off the bike and he looked at her, her smile was lighter and easier and all signs of moisture in her eyes were now completely gone.
Inside the trailer, Daryl went right into the bedroom and set the bag down onto the bed, glad he had made it from the night before. He looked and saw Beth lingering in the kitchen, looking around as if this was the first time she had been inside.
"You're takin' the bed," he told her. "I'll take the couch."
Beth instantly shook her head. "No, Daryl. That's not right."
"I'm not havin' you sleep on the couch," he frowned at her. "It's just a double so it's not the biggest bed but it's comfortable. You should sleep good on it." She was frowning at him in return and she opened her mouth but Daryl wasn't going to hear it. "There's a space heater in here so turn it on if you get cold. We just have to make sure we unplug it 'fore we leave in the mornin'," he continued. "I think I might have an extra blanket around here. Know how cold you get."
Beth finally took the steps forward and she stepped in the small bedroom. She had never been in it before and he watched her as she looked around – not that there was much space to look around. Just the bed and a dresser and a tiny closet. It was a bit messy with a few of his clothes lying on the floor and he began scooping those up now, going to the closet and dropping the armful onto the floor.
"It ain't much-" he began to say.
"It's perfect," she cut him off, looking at him, and he didn't know why but he felt the tips of his ears turn red as he looked at her.
He suddenly wondered how smart it was of him to have Beth Greene living with him. Maybe years of his old man beating him up, he had become the sort of person who liked putting themselves through pain because having her there with him in his tiny trailer – just the two of them – it was already beginning to feel like torture.
It was too early to go to sleep and he slipped past her to leave the room and head out to the front of the trailer. He sat down on the couch and took off his boots, setting them down on the floor side by side beside the couch and he picked up the television remote, picking it up and turning the box across from him on. He saw the bedroom door close and he wondered if she was already lying down. He made sure the television wasn't too loud as he started watching an old episode of Law and Order. He remembered being a little kid and the television set blaring all night and how hard sometimes it was to go to sleep with the noise. Yet another reason why he loved living in the middle of the woods. Besides the wind and the animals, it was so damn quiet. It was – as Beth said – perfect.
The door opened and he glanced to see that she had changed into her pajamas – some little shorts and a tee-shirt and then she went into the bathroom, sliding the door shut and he heard the water in the sink running. When she came out a few minutes later, she stood there and he muted the television, looking at her.
"Do you need anything from your room?" She asked.
"Yeah," he realized and pulled himself off the couch, walking past her and coming out a few seconds later with a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt to sleep in and the extra pillow from the bed.
"I feel bad-" she began to say.
"G'night, Beth," he cut her off.
She looked up at him, her mouth still open slightly as if she was going to speak but he just looked at her and slowly, her lips closed and she nodded her head.
"Good night, Daryl," she said. She put a hand on his arm and then standing on her toes, she kissed him lightly on the lips – so light, he hardly felt it at all. "Thank you for everything," she whispered then before she turned and went into the bedroom, closing the door but not all of the way, it being left open a crack.
After changing and making sure the door was locked and then getting himself situated on the couch with the pillow and green blanket, he watched the rest of the episode before turning the television off and settling himself down to go to sleep.
But he found himself lying there, blinking up at the ceiling. The world was quiet around him except the crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl in a nearby tree. And yet, Daryl laid there and didn't feel as if sleep was coming to him anytime soon. He was too aware of Beth sleeping in his bed just a few feet away and he laid there, picturing her sleeping and what it would be like sleeping next to her.
…
It was a small town and Daryl couldn't figure it out how anyone found out but by the next afternoon, everyone seemed to know that Beth was staying with him for a few days and while Axel and Martinez grinned and slapped him on the back as if they were congratulating him for a job well done, Zach frowned and glared at him as if Daryl had betrayed him in some way though Daryl wanted to remind Zach that he didn't even really like him and he never had a shot with Beth anyway. But Daryl kept his mouth shut and felt the glares thrown at his back for the rest of the day.
Before lunch, Beth came out to the garage, approaching him with a small smile. He lifted his head and flicked his hair and remembered how she had taken a shower that morning and the entire trailer smelled like her afterwards. When he had been in the bathroom, he had looked in the tiny shower and found a bottle of buttercream-scented body wash that she used and now, he wondered if the smell was permanently trapped in his nostrils because he didn't smell oil or metal that day. He smelled nothing but buttercream.
She smiled shyly at him. "Your brother's on the phone," she said and he nodded, grabbing the rag and wiping his hands as he followed her into the office. She sat back down behind her desk and he grabbed the phone's receiver.
"Yeah?" He answered.
"You and the missus wanna come over for dinner tonight?" Merle asked with a grin and Daryl swallowed a sigh, wondering how the hell he heard about him and Beth.
Without a word to Merle, Daryl looked to Beth.
"Wanna go over to Merle and Annie's for dinner tonight?" He asked and she almost looked surprised at him actually asking her.
She smiled then and nodded. "Alright."
"Yeah," Daryl spoke into the phone.
"Good," Merle said, his grin forever present. "I'll tell Annie. Come by 'round six." He paused but Daryl knew his brother wasn't done yet. Merle was never done. "Glad you finally made a move, baby brother," he chuckled. "Livin' with her already might be too soon though."
"Shut up, Merle," he grumbled and hung up on his brother's laughter.
He looked at Beth and she looked at him and gave him a small, hesitant smile. Beth wasn't an idiot and even if she was, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Merle had been ribbing him about the two of them. Daryl was going to try to ignore it though. Merle had been talking shit to him for his entire life and he had learned early on that the only way to get through it was to just ignore him.
"We'll head over there after work," he said and Beth nodded, the same small smile across her lips. She seemed nervous and he couldn't figure out why.
And he couldn't help but frown as he walked into the garage back to his bay. Why would she feel nervous? He replayed that morning. They had gotten up and each had gotten ready for work and they each had a bowl of generic Cheerios and he drank his coffee as she drank milk and he realized that she didn't really talk in the mornings which was just fine with him because he didn't like to talk in the mornings, either. And then he had driven them to work on his bike and it was kind of weird how quickly they had fallen into some sort of routine with each other.
So why the hell was she smiling like that?
After work, they were the last to leave as usual and once he was finished cleaning his station, he headed into the office where she was filing some last papers away. He couldn't help but watch her. She wore these black flat shoes and a white dress with blue flowers and her black cardigan sweater was hanging on the back of her chair. Her hair had been worn up in a ponytail that morning and maybe she had been bored for a few minutes earlier because now, there was a braid going through it.
She turned to look at him as she slipped her sweater on and this time, the smile she gave was a Beth smile and it made him want to smile in return; relieved to see it because if Beth didn't smile, it was as if the sun decided not to hang itself in the sky that day. And he wanted to shake his head at himself because he hated himself a little for thinking something like that.
"Ready?" He asked and she nodded, slinging her bag over her head and across her chest. She followed him outside and then turned to lock the door.
He slid onto his bike and Beth instantly slid behind him, her arms around his waist. He wondered how he had ever ridden this bike before her because in all honesty, he had never thought of sharing a ride on his bike before but now, with Beth, it felt weird when he didn't feel her behind him, holding on. If Beth wasn't with him, he honestly considered taking his truck.
He scowled to himself as he headed towards Merle's house because he had no idea where thoughts like these were coming from all of a sudden. All he did know was that he didn't like them that much. Beth Greene was turning everything inside of him upside down and he had to figure out how to get a hold of himself again.
When they got to the house and Merle opened the door to them, Annie was there and hugged them both as if she hadn't seen them in years and Merle asked if she wanted a beer.
Beth smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you. I don't drink," she said.
And Merle gave her a grin and a wink. "Should have guessed that," he replied.
Merle went to get beers for himself and Daryl and Daryl sat down on the couch, listening as Annie gave Beth a tour of the small house and he could hear Beth asking questions and complimenting Annie on the curtains or the color of carpet and how she had always wanted a little house like this for herself.
"She's a sweet one," Merle commented, overhearing the two women as well, before taking a sip from his beer can. "Can't believe you asked her to move in already. Didn' think you've been together for that long."
"She just needed a place to crash. We're not together," Daryl shook his head before he could stop himself and he wasn't sure why he said that. And he sure as hell wasn't sure why he kept talking past that. "We're nothin'. Just hangin' out."
Merle looked at him as if he didn't believe him for a second. "Huh-uh," he smirked.
Daryl couldn't help but frown. "We're nothin', Merle," he said and he wasn't entirely too sure why he was insisting that. They had kissed. He asked her out on a date. He had gone over to meet her pops. Hell, he asked her to come and stay with him. That wasn't nothing and he knew it. He just didn't know what the hell it was and that didn't sit easy with him.
Beth and Annie came into the living room just a second later and Daryl's eyes whipped around to look at Beth. For some reason, he felt a panic that she had overheard what he had said to Merle about them being nothing but she wasn't looking at him and that was the only answer he needed. She had definitely heard.
And Daryl couldn't ignore the sudden knotting in his stomach. Shit.
"You have a Baldwin," Beth said with a small smile in her tone and Daryl watched as Beth went to the worn wooden upright piano standing in the corner.
"It was my grandma's. I used to know how to play when I was little but whatever I knew, I forgot a long time ago," Annie went to stand next to her. "I know it hasn't been tuned in years and it's just collecting dust sitting here but my grandma loved it and I can't just get rid of it."
Daryl watched Beth look down at the keys for a moment and then looked to Annie.
"May I?" She asked with that hesitant smile she had given him in the office earlier.
"Please!" Annie eagerly nodded and pulled the bench out for Beth to sit on.
Daryl couldn't help but lean forward. He didn't know Beth played the piano. Hell, he figured there was a lot about her he didn't know. From the lunch breaks before they talked to one another and he would sit outside in the back of the garage, he could hear her singing so he knew she liked music. He just didn't know she played anything and when he heard her begin to play a song he didn't know, her fingers lightly flying over the piano keys, it didn't really surprise him that she could play.
There didn't seem to be too many things that Beth Greene couldn't do.
And all Daryl could seem to do was blow hot and cold and be an asshole.
…
Thank you so much for reading and please review!