Thank you very much for your continued support of this story. This has been the most difficult Daryl x Beth story I have written so far and your love and support of it has meant so much to me and I can't thank you enough. Just a couple of chapters to go after this one.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight.

He couldn't stop watching her. Even with his head under the hood of a car, he kept lifting his eyes and looking at her through the windows of the office. She sat behind her desk, the phone to her ear, her fingers typing on the computer's keyboard, and she was smiling as she carried on a conversation with the person on the other end.

She looked so damn beautiful that day. She practically looked as if she was glowing and he wondered if it had anything to do with what they had done the night before.

He had never been expecting that. He had gone out with Rick and Merle as planned but Rick had had second doubts about going to a strip club, which didn't surprise Daryl in the least. It had surprised him when he had actually considered going in the first place but he knew Rick and Rick still loved his wife and he didn't even really have proof that Lori was cheating. Just inclinations and Rick didn't want to go to a strip club when he didn't even know for certain about his wife's own infidelity.

So they had gone to Joe's for a few beers and Merle, for once, sat there and actually tried to offer Rick advice as to what to do that didn't include doing some cheating of his own to get back at Lori. Daryl had sat there and looked at Merle and wondered when the hell he had changed so much. He knew he had – from his time in prison and then falling in love with Annie and marrying her – but he guess he had never realized just how much Merle Dixon was no longer like the guy he used to be. He was still brash and rude as hell but he was also now the guy who gave pretty good advice to those around him and it was advice that people actually listened to and took in account.

After a couple of bottles, Daryl headed home and when he came inside, he looked at the fresh flowers on the table and smelled buttercream in the air and saw the soft light of the lamp she had left on for him spilling around the trailer in a warm glow and it felt like home. And then Beth stood there, in his flannel shirt with her hair spilling down around her shoulders and his tongue had suddenly felt too big for his mouth. He wondered – not for the first time – what the hell this girl was doing here with him but he couldn't get the words out and he knew it was probably just one of those things that he would never understand. And he would have to be okay with that. Being with Beth, being in love with Beth, was just one of those things he would have to accept as it being a part of his life now.

And then they were lying on the bed and he was rolling on a condom and he was pushing himself between Beth's thighs, entering her, unable to stop himself from groaning at how tight and wet and warm she was. She was the best thing he had ever felt and if it was possible, he never wanted to come out again.

I love you, too.

He had told her the words because he saw no reason to keep them to himself anymore and when he looked to her face again, her smile was soft but bright and her eyes were glistening with tears. He had never said those words to another person before but with Beth, there was no fear or second-guessing.

Being in love with Beth, it just made sense.

They had fallen asleep a little while later and the next morning, it was their usual routine – showers and breakfast and Beth's arms around his waist as he drove them on his motorcycle to the shop for work. And now, he couldn't stop watching her. He loved Beth Greene and he had had sex with Beth Greene and for the first time in a long time – maybe the first time in his entire life – he felt pretty damn happy.

Things between them were as if nothing was different and he supposed they weren't. As Beth had said, what had happened was bound to happen eventually and it had changed everything but at the same time, hadn't changed a thing.

After work, he cleaned his bay as he did every other night and then went into the office, sinking himself down into one of the chairs as Beth stood at one of the filing cabinets, putting folders away into their proper place. She gave him a small smile but didn't say anything as she turned her head and continued with her filing.

"I still have to take you out on our first date," he said rather suddenly.

She laughed softly. "I would think we were way past the first date stage."

"Nah," he shook his head and smirked a little. "I promised I would take you out and I don't break promises I make to people. Especially one I make to you."

She smiled at that and blushed a little and then laughed lightly again, closing the drawer of the filing cabinet. "I thought we already had our first date a long time ago," she said as she came to her chair and slid her cardigan back on.

"What would that of been?" He asked, standing up, watching as she turned the computer and the desk lamp off and then grabbed her bag, sliding it on over her head so the strap crossed her chest.

Beth was still smiling as they left the garage and she closed and locked the front office door behind them. "When you took me for a ride on your motorcycle and we bought food at the gas station and ate down by Yellow Jacket Creek."

Daryl couldn't help but frown at her. "That ain't a date, Beth. That was just me wantin' to spend more time with you."

She reached over and slipped her hand into his, twining their fingers together as they walked across the parking lot to where his bike was parked. "Isn't that what a date usually is?" She asked him.

He frowned a little. "We didn' even wear somethin' nice. Aren't you supposed to wear somethin' nice on a date?" He really had no idea because he could count the amount of times he had gone on a date with a woman. Zero. Beth would be the first and he wanted to make sure that he got this right because this was Beth and he was going to give her the kind of first date that girls wanted.

Beth just smiled though and stood up on her toes, leaning into him, brushing her lips along his jaw and damn near making him shiver. "I like your flannel shirts," she whispered and then stepped back down, looking up at him with those big eyes of hers and making him want to do all sorts of things to her right then and there.

But they were standing in the middle of the garage's parking lot in the middle of town and there was no way he could do anything except kiss her. So that's what he did. He reached out and slid a hand onto her cheek and her lips curved into a smile as he lowered his own lips to hers. He kissed her softer than he thought he would have and he felt Beth's hands lightly slide up his chest. He moved his mouth against hers slowly, drinking her in, getting drunk and high off of her all at the same time and he swore that he could feel his head spinning.

He really hated that they had to go to Merle and Annie's for dinner that night because right now, all he wanted to do was go home with Beth and make her second time better than her first.

Beth was the one to pull her lips back and she looked up at him with the twinkling in her eyes and the faint smile across her face. "We can't be late," she said.

"Merle's never been known to be exactly punctual," he said but he climbed onto his bike nonetheless and Beth smiled as she slid on behind him, adjusting herself and her arms around his waist. He felt her lips brush against his shoulder blade and again, he felt like this girl was making him want to shiver again.

At his brother's house, Annie hugged Daryl and Beth as always and then taking Beth's hand, she pulled her right into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder to Daryl that Merle was in the backyard.

"Son of a bitch," Merle was swearing as Daryl stepped through the sliding door onto the small back concrete patio. He looked at Daryl with a deep frown. "Annie told me that it'd be a good investment. Piece of shit is what it is," he said and with that, he gave the gas grill a swift kick with his foot.

Without a word, Daryl moved past him and went to the fire sand pit that Merle had set up in the backyard, surrounded with bricks. Merle followed him and the two brothers had a fire roaring in no time.

Both turned their heads when they saw Annie coming out and then Beth, Annie carrying a tray of meat and she rolled her eyes when she saw that the grill had been abandoned in favor of the fire pit. She looked back to Beth.

"Get used to this," Annie told her. "Dixon men do not believe in doing the easy thing."

"Nah. We just don't believe in relying on pieces of shit when we know a better way to get things done," Merle corrected her, taking the tray of rabbit they would be cooking that night. "'sides, rabbit's better over an open fire."

Beth smiled, coming up to Daryl as he stood up, and handed him a can of Coke. She knew that he didn't like to drink when he was driving her around on his bike and he smiled his thanks to her, liking that she knew that about him. He wondered how she had already become the one person in this whole world who knew him better than anyone else. Better than Rick. Better than Merle. It didn't make any sense because what was it about her that had been able to scale the walls he usually kept around himself? But he just knew that if it was anyone who was able to slip in, he was glad it was her.

Annie cleared her throat. "So, there is a reason why Merle and me wanted you two to come over for dinner tonight."

"Yeah," Merle nodded, stabbing the pieces of rabbit onto the spit. "We got tickets for the roller derby again at the end of the month. You two wanna come?"

"Oh, yes!" Beth exclaimed a little. "I loved it so much last time. Thank you!"

Annie slapped her husband in the stomach. "That is not why we invited you two over tonight." She took another deep breath. "We're going to have a baby."

"Oh my gosh!" Beth exclaimed again and threw her arms around Annie's shoulders, both women laughing and hugging and crying and Daryl didn't understand how women could do all of that at the same time.

Daryl looked at his older brother and Merle was smiling in that way that he did – smiling like nothing bothered him – but Daryl knew he was probably freaking out. And Daryl didn't exactly blame him for that.

"Congratulations," Daryl said, knowing that Dixon men didn't hug but he slapped a hand onto Merle's shoulder. He then smirked a little. "Can't really believe it."

"Me, neither. But Annie swears it's mine," Merle smirked, looking to Daryl. "Thanks."

Daryl looked at him for a long moment. Merle Dixon was married and was going to have a baby; was going to be a daddy. It was unbelievable to say the least and he remembered a conversation him and Merle had had years ago about how the Dixon line should just die with them. No one needed or wanted another Dixon in the world. And though they hadn't said it, Daryl knew that deep down, both men were wondering if they would be no better than their old man when it came to children.

But Daryl knew that this next Dixon would never go through what he and Merle had gone through. Merle would be a good dad. Maybe even a great dad. Merle had changed so much in his life, Daryl knew that he could have a child with no problem.

He didn't say any of this though. It was way too many words for him and Merle would probably just scoff and call him a pussy anyway and he wouldn't want to hear Daryl saying things like that to him. That's not what Dixons did.

So instead, Daryl clapped a hand on Merle's shoulder again and Merle seemed to know what he was thinking but would never say. He just gave a head nod and a smile and Daryl smiled a little, too.

…

There wasn't anything in this world right now that would get Daryl to take his lips off of her. She was lying naked on the bed – their bed – and she was moaning softly and panting heavily and she tasted so damn good, he felt like he could hardly stand it. She breathed his name and rubbed her hips against his face and he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, knowing he had never smelt anything in this world that crashed into his brain like this and made him feel like he was falling even with feeling his knees firm on the ground.

She came loudly with an "Oh my god!" and her fingers tightened in his hair and pulled hard but Daryl didn't lift his head as he licked her up, nearly groaning at how damn good she tasted. He might just find himself doing this to her every night from now on, having loved it as much as she obviously did.

He finally lifted his head and looked up her body, seeing her lying there as if she was boneless, and her chest was heaving up and down.

"Wow," she breathed out on an exhale of air and Daryl found himself smiling a little. She rested a hand over her heart. "I've never felt my heart beat this fast."

And that one comment made his smile vanish just as quickly as it had formed. He swiftly cursed himself as he pulled himself onto the bed, coming up beside her with a furrow in his brow, lying on his side.

"You a'right?" He asked, looking at her.

She opened her eyes and he looked at her flushed face and her slight smile but all he could see where her lips parted and her breath heavy. That was it. He couldn't do this to her again. Her heart was weak and he was not looking to give her an actual heart attack while they did things like this together. Maybe they should do things like this anymore. They had done it once and maybe that would be enough times.

She nodded. "I'm fine," she said but she was still panting and her hand was still over her heart and he couldn't call himself an idiot enough times. "That was amazing."

Daryl let out a grunt but didn't say anything, still staring at her closely. And he didn't know what she saw on his face but whatever it was, it made her smile fade slowly.

"What's wrong?" She asked him in a quiet voice and her breathing started to sound a bit more normal.

He shook his head as if he wasn't going to answer but he did nonetheless. "I've been readin'," he admitted to her. "I got a few books out from the library… I just wanted to understand more," he said and found himself having a hell of time meeting her eyes as he said that to her, unsure of what her reaction to that would be.

She was quiet for only a moment but it might as well have been for an hour as Daryl imagined her getting up and getting dressed and walking out. She didn't though. Beth remained lying there and her hand slowly lifted from her chest, going to his cheek, her thumb brushing back and forth along his chin.

"You can ask me, Daryl," she said. "Anything you want."

Daryl looked at her for a moment as if trying to decide if she was tricking him or not but she just kept looking up at him, waiting, and he exhaled a soft breath.

"Your heart," he said but he didn't know how to form the rest of the question and thankfully, Beth didn't seem to need him to.

"It's weak," she said with a slight nod. "But each day, it's getting stronger. It won't ever be as strong as it was. As strong as it's supposed to be but it's okay."

She took his hand then and pulled it to her chest, resting it over her heart, and his fingers twitched against her skin as he could feel the heart beat beneath his palm. They were both quiet, Beth looking at him and him looking down at his hand and he couldn't help but begin to count the beats.

"Still beating," Beth said. His eyes moved to her face. "And it's not going to stop beating for a long time. I promise."

"Can't promise that," Daryl shook his head.

"No, that's true," she agreed. "But it's not going to stop beating because I'm not eating enough." Daryl exhaled a breath at that he hadn't realized he was holding. She lifted her head back to his head, brushing some of his hair back. "Have you really been reading?" She asked and he nodded, keeping his eyes on hers.

"Yeah…" he answered slowly. "Wasn' sure how you would react though so I've been hidin' the books from you."

"You don't have to hide anything from me, Daryl," Beth said.

And he knew that she was talking about the books but he stared at her and suddenly, he felt like maybe her words were talking about so many other things. And why did he have to hide things from her? They lived together, were almost always together. He was in love with her and had sex with her and… he loved her.

He kept his eyes locked with her for another moment more before he sat up then.

"Daryl-" she began to say his name when she saw what he was doing but he ignored her and tugged his tee-shirt off over his head, leaving him bare from the waist up.

He tossed the shirt towards the floor and then laid down beside her on his side again. She looked at him and he wondered if she would say anything but she didn't and he was grateful. He didn't want to talk about it. The scars on his back, it had all happened so long ago but they were still a part of who he was and there was no escaping it. And he didn't want to escape it because those scars were one of the reasons why he was here, right now, with Beth. He had gone through a lot of shit to have this life for himself and have this girl in this life with him.

But he didn't explain all of that to her and Beth didn't say a word about the back she still couldn't see but if she wanted to sit up and look, he would sit there and let her.

Beth remained lying down and she lifted both hands now, framing his face. "I love you," she said in a whisper, gently pulling him closer to her.

"I love you, too," he responded instantly and naturally and he brushed his lips against hers.

"Thank you for trusting me," she whispered, breathing against his mouth.

He shifted over her, his hand running down her side, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don't wanna hide anythin' from you."

And she smiled at that and he then lowered his lips to hers, slanting his mouth, kissing her deeply, and he felt Beth's hands move slowly around to his back, her fingers making first contact with the strips of scars that covered the skin there. She didn't yank away as she felt them and he didn't even flinch.

He had never had such a gentle touch on any of his scars before and he couldn't stop himself from sinking completely down on top of her as if he was melting.

…

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