I never intended for this story to be a long one and looking over the outline I have made for it, it will probably be twelve chapters. And I know a few have been asking and I will explain why Hershel cut Beth out of the farm before this story ends as well as some conflicts - mainly from other people - in the next few chapters. Thank you so much for your love and support with this one! This chapter kind of flew out of me and I never have written one quite like this. I hope it turned out alright. Thank you again!

…

Part Eight.

He's never dated anyone before. It never interested him and most women he found himself around annoyed the hell out of him. There were only certain women who ever seemed to give Merle the time of day and if those were the women who Daryl could spend his time with, he would rather spend his time alone. Big breasts and too much lipstick and daddy issues streching on for miles. Daryl wasn't interested.

But Beth isn't like that – not in the least – and sometimes, he'll just look at her because why the hell is this girl with a guy like him? She is sunshine. Her blonde hair and her bright smile and when she's around, he just feels warmer. She pushes the dark corners away from him and envelops him in her light and he finds it starting to get harder and harder to step back and not get used to it.

He tries to remind himself that this won't last. No reason why it should. Nothing good like Beth ever lasts in his life and he has just come to expect it. He knows that one day, Beth will wise up about him or just get bored and that will be that.

And he tells himself that when that day comes, he won't fight it. He'll be just fine.

…

Things with Beth are easy. He comes to see her at the diner every night and he's spending more and more time at her apartment, first helping her put all of that Ikea furniture together and then, just relaxing on her couch with her. Sometimes, she talks and sometimes, she reads and sometimes, they just watch television but her head is always on his chest and he is always playing with strands of her hair. He's pretty sure he's never felt anything as soft before touching Beth Greene's hair.

T-Dog has hired her to bake desserts for the diner after her chocolate cake was such a success and he is paying her a little bit more for it and she takes it very seriously. She bakes cakes and pies and she declares that Daryl is her official taste tester. He grumbles that she's going to make him fat but he never stops her when she places a plate down in front of him and she watches him with her wide, hopeful eyes as he takes his first bite and then his second and then his third and so on and so on until the plate is completely clean and he tells her it was alright. He says it with a smile though and she laughs, throwing her arms around him and kissing him as if she has never received a better compliment.

And he always feels so good when he gets her to laugh, the sun shining a little brighter and feeling a little warmer. Beth makes him like himself more than he ever has and it's an addicting feeling. A dangerous feeling. And he tries to reign himself in.

…

She asks him one day when it's raining softly outside and the drops tap against the window panes and the roof over their heads. He has been over for most of the day but he has to head back to the motel now and get some sleep since he has an early day tomorrow working on fixing the roof of the city hall.

"Why do you stay there?" She asks him as he sits on the couch to tug on his boots.

He shrugs. "Was stayin' in a place with Merle for a while but after…" he trails off and he looks at her as she stands near the door, her fingers fidgeting in front of her and she's looking nervous for some reason. He stands up and grabs his jacket.

"What if you move in here with me?" She blurts out and he goes still, his eyes slowly blinking at her. "I mean," she is quick to speak again. "I know it hasn't been this long," she gestures her hand back and forth between them. "But you're always here and I really love having you here and it's silly that you're spending money on a room you're hardly in anymore."

He just keeps staring at her. "We ain't even sleepin' together," he feels the need to say to her, as if she's forgotten and he has to remind her.

Her cheeks explode in a blush. "I know…" her fingers are fidgeting again.

She looks so nervous and Daryl is thinking of a thousand reasons as to why he shouldn't move in with her – tries to tell himself that he's an idiot and he shouldn't do this to himself – but he keeps looking at her and all he can think about is how he kind of hates having to leave her at the end of every night.

…

"So, how's everything going with you two?" Rick asks even though he already knows the answer if his smile is any indication.

Daryl just nods his head and takes another sip of beer. "Good."

And Rick's smile somehow seems to grow at that. "Good."

They are at the Grimes' for another barbecue and he and Rick sit in two lawnchairs, looking out into the yard as Beth sits in the grass with Judith, playing with the baby and both girls laughing, the light sound echoing through the afternoon air. Carl has his friend, Patrick, over and they're kicking around a soccer ball. Andrea is over, too, and Daryl avoids her as always. The woman is always staring at him like she wants to eat him and it has always made him downright uncomfortable. He's just glad Shane wasn't able to come to this one. He and Walsh have always hated one another and Daryl figures that not only it's because he's a Dixon and most law enforcement seem to hate him but Shane's also a little jealous of with his friendship with Rick.

"Lori's quite proud of herself. She seemed to know you two would work," Rick says.

Daryl just shrugs. "Good guess," he says and Rick lets out a laugh.

"Beth told Lori you're moving in with her. Andrea looked like she was in shock."

Daryl again shrugs because what the hell else is he supposed to do? Why does he care what Andrea does or thinks? All he knows is she better not say anything to Beth that might upset her. It's always confused him why some lawyer would like him anyway. She probably just wants to dip her toe in the dirty pool so she can go back and brag about it to her friends at the courthouse.

"You love her?" Rick asks.

"Nah," Daryl shakes his head almost immediately, his eyes watching Beth as she now seems to be trying to teach Judith some patty-cake game, laughing all the while.

He wants to say that it's way too soon to be in love with that girl but he knows, deep down, he'll probably never love her even if they're together for a hundred years.

He's a Dixon. Love – giving it or receiving it – isn't exactly in their makeup.

…

She comes to the motel with him to help him with his things though he keeps telling her that he doesn't have that much.

"You helped me move," she tells him with a smile and folds his shirts neatly and places them carefully into his duffel bag.

They hear footsteps approaching and they both turn their heads to see Axel standing there in the open door, frowning at what he's seeing.

"Beth, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asks and Daryl frowns but pretends it doesn't bother him as he goes into the bathroom to take those tiny bottles of shampoo and complimentary bars of soap.

When he comes out again, he sees Beth standing with Axel in the parking lot and whatever the man is saying, it's making her frown. She comes back a minute later just as he is zipping up the duffel bag and is slinging his crossbow onto his shoulder. She doesn't say anything and he doesn't ask. He isn't the kind of guy to ask questions. If she wants to tell him, she will.

They're climbing into the truck when Beth sighs heavily from beside him.

"Axel really hates you. Reminded me again that you're the worst news and told me I'm making a mistake by being with you," she says and she's looking at him and she looks so damn sad. He can't stand it.

He sighs heavily. "Axel's wife was a junkie and Merle was her dealer," he finally tells her. "She od'd a couple years ago and died while Axel was off servin' time."

Beth is quiet for a moment, looking at him. She then shakes her head as if she doesn't understand. "But that was your brother. It wasn't your fault," she says and he can't help but smirk a little.

"Still don't get it? Me and my brother are the same person to most of the folk 'round here," he says, turning the key in the engine and starting the truck.

She doesn't say another word in the short ride back to the apartment and he's grateful for the silence.

…

She sees him without a shirt on for the first time a couple of days after he's been living there. He is just getting out of the shower, knotting the towel around his waist, and she knocks on the closed door.

"Yeah?" He answers and she misunderstands, thinking he's giving her permission to come in. And when she does, he tries to turn his back as quickly as he can but he knows she sees it by the slight wideness of her eyes.

He wants to lash out at her and shove her from the room but something else stops him and she is holding out her hand, another towel being extended to him.

"I wasn't sure if you needed another one," she said, her voice soft.

He won't look her in the eye anymore. "Just my dad showin' me some love when I was a kid," he says and he tries so hard to be casual about the whole thing because he's living with her and he knows that this would have happened eventually. And besides, he got those scars a long time ago and his dad's been dead for years.

"I have this special cream. It helps make scars fade a little," she says and she's moving towards the medicine cabinet but he stops her, his fingers lightly taking a hold of her elbow.

"Don't want 'em to fade," he says with a shake of his head and she looks at him for a moment. She's not looking at him with pity and he wonders if she has any idea how important that is to him that she's not looking at him with pity right now.

She nods as if she understands and then she steps to him. Standing on her toes, her hands light on either side of his neck, and she presses her lips to his in a kiss that makes his chest ache. When she pulls her head back, she gives him a faint smile.

They look at one another for a moment.

"Dinner's almost ready," she says and that's all she says and when she leaves the bathroom, he exhales a breath he hasn't even realized he's holding.

…

It's not as if he's been waiting for it to happen. He isn't getting impatient or pushing her into doing something she isn't ready to do. He just isn't like that.

But when it does happen, it almost feels as if this has always been inevitable between them. And maybe it has been ever since that first night when he walked into the diner and saw the prettiest girl he had ever seen and she smiled at him and forgot his drink order.

She reaches for him and he reaches for her at the same time, their mouths meeting, their hands pulling at one another's clothes and she pulls him down onto the bed with her.

He's no expert at this and he isn't expecting her to be either but he feels like throughout the entire thing, he's just following her lead. Where to touch her and kiss her, listening to her moan softly and gasp breathlessly and he learns what feels the best for her. She's slow with him, too, learning what he likes even though when it comes to Beth, he likes anything she does.

And when she's finally ready and he pushes inside of her for the first time, she gasps sharply and he freezes, thinking he's hurt her. But then she smiles breathlessly up at him and her hands slide down his back, pulling him in closer, and he looks down at her, his heart thudding in his chest.

He's never loved anything in his life but he knows that if he was capable of it, he would love Beth Greene completely.

…

Beth's good. She's just good. She's sweet and kind and he sees the way everyone who comes into the diner smiles at her and she smiles back. She always smiles back but he notices that when he comes in for dinner, that's her biggest smile.

He smiles a little back and slides into his usual booth in the corner and she comes to him, setting his coke down and bending down to give him a kiss. He thinks that those kisses might be his favorite because there's just something so comfortable about them. He's never had this with another person before in his life. This level of normality and gentleness and comfort. He has never felt comfortable around another person – not even Merle because he never knew when Merle was too high or too drunk and could be set off at the drop of a pin over anything – just like their old man. He was usually tense when around Merle and since he was always around Merle, he was always on edge.

But with Beth, she smiles at him and kisses him and teases him about the length of his hair and smells like chocolate and frosting. She's so damn sweet and everything between them is just so damn good and he keeps telling himself that this isn't going to last. There just isn't a way that he can ever keep a girl like Beth Greene.

It doesn't matter that they sleep beside one another every night and he knows she mumbles sometimes in her sleep and he starts to not wear shirts to bed because it's just more comfortable for him. It doesn't matter that she knows spaghetti and meatballs is his favorite meal or that he only drinks one beer before he cuts himself off because he never wants to drink so much, he loses control or that he sometimes goes back to the motel just to make sure Cornelius is still around. It doesn't matter that she knows more about him than anyone ever has.

He'll sometimes look at her as she sleeps next to him and her breath is soft and even besisde him and he feels too dirty to be lying in her bed with the white sheets and most nights, he has absolutely no idea what he's doing there with her. He tells himself he'll leave the next morning but he can never get himself to.

…

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