AN: Just a quick note to thank everyone who has stuck with me through the unfortunate delays in updating. I hope things settle down to where I can get back to posting every other day at least. Anyway, thank you to UltimateBethylFicList, Carowen, Anne, BetaGirl09, heatherrk, DarylDixon'sLover, Trixieviv, katiegirl99, jessiborton, 2carlaa, An Amber Pen, rckyfrk, stacey . coonan, and Gabs! Y'all got me over 200 reviews which is awesome! Thank you!

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 19

Rick sat quietly as Daryl recounted everything in modest detail. He told Rick about the kiss in the park, Zach coming up on them and grabbing her, shooting Zach in the neck to save Beth, and what happened after. He stopped himself from repeating his words in the garage because he'd be fooling himself if he believed it was just that. It wasn't just a fucking like he was used to and it wasn't something he would likely forget anytime soon. Not like he had done with all the nameless, make-up covered faces he'd been with before. It had been under all the wrong circumstances but it wasn't meaningless.

When he finished speaking, Rick's silence lingered in the apartment for what felt like ages. Daryl began to squirm under the weight of it all and he began to wonder why he ran at all. Why he left without talking to her.

"I can't say I'm pleased with the situation." Rick finally uttered. Daryl scoffed.

"Ya think I am?" He retorted.

"I don't think you meant it to happen. But this isn't just about you sleeping with her." Rick's voice was stern.

"No, it ain't." Daryl paused a moment before summoning up the courage to do what he needed to do. "I gotta quit." The moment the words left his mouth he felt like a coward, running at the first chance he got. Rick sighed deeply as he regarded Daryl's words.

"Since the threat is gone, I suppose if that's what you really want then go. She doesn't need to be watched every second of every day. But I think your reasoning for this is bullshit." Daryl eyed the man sitting before him.

"Told ya when it was done I was gone."

"Yes, but are you the same person you were two weeks ago?" Daryl stopped pacing and eyed him quizzically. "You said down there you fell for her. Don't sound like the same man that wanted out when it was done."

"Ya Dr. Phil now? It ain't got nothin' to do with it. It's done. I'm done."

"I take it she doesn't know you ran out on her?" Rick said thoughtfully. Daryl shrugged his shoulders and turned around.

"Sure she knows I ain't there. Don't matter none. It was a mistake." Rick scoffed at his response.

"Give me your phone." He all but demanded and Daryl knew why.

"She ain't called." He said as he tossed the phone over. Rick's eyebrow rose as he scrolled through the phone's history to confirm just that. No one in New York had called him. "Like I said, was a mistake. An' she knows it."

"I'll ask Glenn to bring your stuff back. Are you going to wait here for them or just go back to Kentucky now?" Rick asked. Daryl could tell that to Rick it wasn't that big of a deal but he'd been hoping Rick forced him to stay. He cursed himself for being such a damn coward.

"Prolly just head back. They still have another week and a half up there." Rick nodded and rubbed his hands over his face.

"I'll have them ship it to you then." He stood up and headed to the door. "I am sorry you had to kill the kid. I doubt anything will come of it. But I'm not sorry you did what I hired you to do. Even if you didn't take my advice and keep it professional. I've known Beth for years. Chances are if she came to you like you had said she would have talked you into it regardless of the situation. She's strong and has an even stronger will. It's because of that that she is where she is today. If she wants something she will take it." Rick turned his body to face Daryl's, his eyes boring holes into him as if he was trying to nail his words into his soul. "However, I've never known her to do something like this. Since Jimmy, her fiancé, died… she's never opened herself up like this to another man. And, thanks to Maggie and Glenn, I would have known and been asked to preform numerous background checks." Rick tried to stifle a laugh but Daryl found nothing funny about his words. Beth had never told him she was engaged let alone that the man had died, but why would she? Daryl kept quiet as Rick turned the knob and walked out of the condo. He sat on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, this thoughts running a mile a minute.

This was for the best, though. He would get some sleep and go back to Kentucky tomorrow. He was free of his obligation and shouldn't feel guilty about doing exactly what he said he would do. But for reasons he didn't understand, that was the only feeling raging through his body.

He woke well after the sun rose. A glance at the clock on the wall told him it was getting close to ten am. He groaned at the light that seeped through the blinds and tried to blind him. His movements were stiff and sluggish from falling asleep on the couch and his sleep was restless at best. His dreams were filled with blonde hair and soft moans and his senses were invaded by the memory of her taste and scent. He had woke several times in the night only to quickly close his eyes in hopes of getting back to the dream. It might not have been the same but it was always her.

He stood and made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He wanted to throw everything on his bike and get out of here as quickly as he possibly could. As he was getting in the shower, the soft vibration from his cell phone against the counter top stopped him. Her name appeared on the screen and he felt himself shatter when he pressed ignore and stepped under the icy water.

An hour later everything he'd brought with him, minus his hand gun, was packed up and by the door. He wanted to leave the phone but he couldn't bring himself to set it down on the table next to the key and the note to return the rental. His bag and crossbow over his shoulder, he took one final glance over his shoulder at the condo and walked out, vowing never to look back.

He drove slowly through the back roads of Tennessee, taking the same lazy route he had taken when he made his first escape from Georgia. Back then he was running to start a new life where people hadn't known what a screw up he was. Now, here he was running from that new life he had wanted. The irony wasn't lost on him as he fought to keep his mind on the road.

It was closer to four in the afternoon when he arrived back in Somerset. He drove mindlessly through the town and to the burnt down bar. He was surprised to see that everything had already been demolished and a new frame was standing amongst the ash. He dismounted the bike and moved around the workers nailing planks together and the obvious foremen who were only there to babysit.

"Dixon! What are you doing here, man?" Daryl turned around with a grin to his former boss.

"Just thought I'd see if ya needed a hand." Dave reached him and patted him on the back, his eyes hiding sympathy. Daryl winced realizing that Dave already knew what happened. "Ya heard." He wasted no time getting to the point.

"Talked to Glenn last night. He asked if I'd heard from ya. He said that you killed the kid that burnt down the bar." Daryl nodded grimly.

"He say how Beth was doin'?" Dave looked away nervously. "Dave…" His voice was full of warning.

"Let's talk over here." He pointed to the back of the lot where the walls were already placed around what Daryl assumed to be the new parlor. Once they were out of ear shot of the workers, Dave turned to him. "What happened up there?"

"Sounds like ya already know." He snapped back.

"I know ya killed the kid, but Glenn hinted at something else. Didn't sound like you, though." Daryl rolled his eyes at how quickly the gossip could spread.

"Yeah, what is it then? Best ask me now rather than beat around the bush about it."

"He said he overheard Beth and that Michonne woman talking about something. Something about you taking advantage of her after she was attacked. Said he didn't want to know but when you ran, well… it just don't look good, kid." Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I just came from Georgia where the man that hired me heard the whole damn story. Ya think I'd be standing here right now if I'd done something like that. Not to mention, ya know me better than that, asshole!" Daryl was furious that Dave would think that little of him.

"I know, Daryl. But I've known ya long enough that you don't just run from something. You're a stubborn son of a bitch. What happened?" Daryl ran his hands through his hair and contemplated telling Dave. He just couldn't bring himself to admit to anyone else what he'd already said to Rick. He also didn't want to harbor any false hope that Rick's words as he was leaving were telling him he was wrong or that her call to him had been anything more that an admission to the mistake. "You look like something is eatin' away at you." Dave's voice was soft and his eyes were full of concern.

"I ain't goin' into detail but yeah, Michonne thinks I took advantage of her. She heard some… things… but it ain't what she thinks so can ya drop it now?" Dave's eyes widened momentarily and he nodded. "'Sides, it wouldn't have been the first time I ran. Ya know that."

"You also ain't the same man you were two years ago. And I assumed it wasn't what he made it sound to be. You're like a son to me, kid. I hope you know that. And if you need to tell me anything, ya can."

"I just spent the last 24 hours talkin' about my feelings. Between Michonne, Rick, and now this… I'm startin' to wonder when I'm gunna get pushed into a circle an' forced to sing cumbaya." Dave chuckled.

"Yeah, I know you keep things close to the chest. But let me ask ya this; do you regret it?"

"It shouldn'ta happened." Daryl repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time. Dave scoffed.

"That's not what I asked." Daryl fidgeted like a worm under a magnifying glass on a hot day beneath the glare of his former boss. He knew that Dave wouldn't let this go until he gave him some sort of answer.

"It'd be an idiot if I did." He relented. Dave's gaze didn't falter and Daryl knew he wasn't off the hook. "It just shouldn'ta happened the way it did. If it was supposed to happen at all. I didn't wanna get involved like that."

"But you'd thought about it. Not just sleeping with her." Dave stated, his voice screamed 'obviously'. Daryl bobbed his head sheepishly, his eyes finding a bent nail on the ground much more fascinating than it actually was. "Got any idea how she feels?"

"I dunno, I mean her kissin' me started this whole damn thing. Zach saw it and almost slit her throat." Daryl winced as the memory flooded his mind.

"Then what the hell are you doing back in Kentucky?" Dave demanded.

"I quit." He said weakly.

"I figured that out. You said you talked to Rick and since you aren't in New York, it all added up. I'm not dumb, Daryl. If the girl likes ya, you clearly feel something about her, then get the hell out of here and go back to New York."

"Nothin's gunna happen, me going back."

"I hate to do this to you, son. But you ain't got a job here. Now you figure out what to do from here." Dave placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before he walked away and back out to fuss at the foremen about something. Daryl wasn't really shocked. He knew he'd been secretly hoping someone would force his hand in the matter and now someone finally had. He had nothing left in Kentucky if Dave wouldn't hire him back and nothing left in Georgia without her.

He went back to his bike and fired it up to check on his cabin. He decided he'd make sure things were still in order here, pay up the few bills he had, and then go back. He deserved to at least tell her why he left, if nothing else. He'd let her decide from there.

AN: Hope you liked it! Leave me some love- come on… Valentine's Day is coming up! (I'm awful!)