A/N Thanks so much for the comments, faves and follows. Although this is a short chapter, I felt it needed to stand alone. It's designed to give a little more insight on Beth; and we see our couple continue to build on their connection.

He woke up to an empty bed and immediately panicked, shit, she'd left him, and then, thank God, he smelled bacon.

He quickly went to the kitchen and she was standing at the stove, she looked over her shoulder toward him and gave him a small smile, and then turned around again.

Well shit, she hadn't left, but things weren't right. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "Sweetheart please, it was a big day, I was overwhelmed, I can't stand the thought of you being angry with me."

She slid the pan off the burner and turned to face him. "I'm not angry with you Rick, not at all. I thought about it a lot, and I understand better now. Sometimes I have trouble understanding other people's feelings, mine are so overly sensitive. I hope we can just move on now, and work on being a family, a happy family."

He smiled at her, thinking she was pretty much perfect, "That sounds just right to me Beth, just right, it's what I want too."

Carl walked in the kitchen and jokingly said, "Do you two need to be alone, or can I have breakfast with you?"

Beth and Rick both started laughing and Beth told him, "Only if you promise to tell me everything that happens at school today."

"Let's negotiate that Beth, how about almost everything?" Carl had his Daddy's smile.

"That sounds better, I don't want to hear about you kissing anyone behind the bleachers so you can keep that stuff to yourself." She gave a good shudder and a look of disgust.

Rick smiled at the interaction between them, yeah, maybe they were doing just fine and he was the uptight one.

Carl asked, "Do I have time for a shower before breakfast?"

"I'd say you have 15 minutes, how's that?" She smiled over her shoulder at him.

"Perfect, I'll be back, and Beth, that smells so good, thanks!" And he was off.

Rick couldn't resist, he walked over, gave her one more kiss, a smile and said, "Thanks sweetheart. I'd better go get dressed so I can take someone to school."

xxxx

When he got back from taking Carl, he asked, "Can we sit out on the patio for a while, just have some Rick and Beth time, how does that sound?"

"Perfect, let me get you a coffee and myself a tea."

They sat side by side under the overhang and Rick said, "You know sweetheart, it'll take a couple of weeks, but I do think the three of us will fall into a routine, and I'm not saying things will always be easy, but I think they'll feel more normal to all of us."

"What I think is you're far too concerned about how I'm going to handle all of this. I'm not oblivious to the fact that everyone thinks I'm unable to deal with life, but I am able Rick, I promise. I have trouble with aspects of human behavior, meanness, hate, lying, cheating. Those things affect me in a profound way, I won't deny that. It's almost like I can't breath, I can't face it, I get so hurt, it doesn't even have to be aimed at me, I just have to see it, or feel it, and I begin to feel like I can't go on. I know it's scary to other people, I scare myself sometimes, but I never have the desire to hurt myself, not anymore. And I have a deeply emotional reaction when I get the vibration that you don't have faith in my love and my acceptance of you Rick. I want you to believe in us, my commitment to you." And then she laughed softly and went on, "And we know, I get frustrated by objects, like cords and wires, they somehow manage to get the upper hand on me in more ways than one. But seriously, a little teenage angst, and acting out, day to day family stress? I like to think I can deal with it." She reached for his hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"I have to admit, sometimes there are so many feelings in a room full of people, I begin to feel bombarded with their vibrations. That's why crowds are so hard on me. Too much emotion, all of it coming at me at once. It's quite overwhelming, and that's why I prefer to simply avoid large groups of people, not because people scare me." And she smiled at him, "Although there are certainly some out there that do."

"This is really the first time you've explained all of this to me Beth. I'm so happy you have, I do have a clearer understanding now. And I want you to know, I'm not just paying lip service when I say I do have faith in you, and in your love. It's something I treasure so much, maybe that's the vibe you get from me, fear, fear that I'll somehow disappoint you, screw this up. That's my insecurity coming front and center." He took her hand to his lips and kissed it, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. The last thing I was looking for, the last thing I wanted in my life that day I met you, was a relationship with a woman. But the moment I saw you, you had me."

"Let me reveal something to you Rick, when I went to the laundromat that day, it wasn't that Mama needed those quilts right away, it was that I had such a strong sense I needed to be there, I didn't know why, but I didn't question it. When I walked in the door I felt you even before I saw you. I knew you were instantly drawn to me, just like I was instantly drawn to you. But we never truly know what another person will do, and I wasn't certain you'd take the chance. When you held out your hand to take the iPod cords, I knew you were at least considering exploring the situation, but I also felt you fighting it every step of the way. I could feel how torn you were. I didn't know why, I just knew. I wasn't going to give up on you Rick. I didn't give up on you then, I didn't give up on you when you were hurt, and I'm not giving up on you because your teenage son is going to live here. I'm not giving up on you Rick, period. I have nothing against Lori, I barely know the woman, but please don't compare me, or us, to her or your relationship with her. What we have is so much different Rick, we are each others. We were always meant to be each others. You can't keep imagining obstacles, thinking of reasons it may fall apart, reasons I may want to leave." She smiled at him, and this time she raised his hand to her lips and kissed it softly.

A/N Short and sweet. More very soon, I promise! Thanks so much for reading, please review xo