A/N: Wow guys! You are all stupendously amazingly wonderfully fantastically awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you SOOOOOOO much!

And guess what...I got a beta, I got a beta, I got a beta! And not just any beta! The best beta in the whole universe, who's had to put up with my constant questioning all week. Seriously, the girl's a saint. Super special, big thank you to Nicole (aka Scifigirl22). Go check out her stuff!

Lots of dialogue in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy :-) xoxoxox
………

Chapter Four

Calling Merle and Martinez had been out of the question. For some crazy reason, Daryl didn't think that the law enforcers would take too kindly to the two of them rolling up to collect him in the still missing Mustang. Racking his brains, he had went through the incredibly short list of people he believed could have bailed him out, his choices coming down to his drinking buddy, Jim (who believed that the year was 1996), or Mr. Wong from the Chinese Take Away down the street (who after 7 years of having a strong customer/employee relationship, still called him Brian). He'd probably have a higher chance of calling E.T. to come and rescue him in the end.

He must have lifted the damned receiver at least 10 times before he was forced to hang it back up. With the deepest sigh imaginable, his head had found solace against the greying wall by the old 80's styled payphone, his hands burying themselves deep into his pockets. It had taken him a minute to notice the small piece of paper hidden inside his back pocket, realization hitting him full force when it had clicked as to what it was. Dreading the inevitable, he had slowly pulled it out, the sparkly pink numbers staring back at him alongside the sickly cheerful smiley face. He hadn't been able to stop the whine from escaping past his lips.

He had contemplated the prospect of prison before dialing. He'd been behind bars before (granted, for only a whole 27 hours) and was pretty certain that he'd have been able to cope, but before he could stop himself, he had found himself shakily typing in the numbers. Beth hadn't answered on the first ring, or the second for that matter, but at 3am, he couldn't blame her. When she did finally pick up, her voice just as cheerful as ever (surprise, surprise), he hadn't been able to find the words to speak. Twice she had called out before he had found the courage to answer back.

It shouldn't have come as to a shock that she had been 'more than happy' to bail him out. He had practically heard the smile in her voice as she had said her 'goodbyes' and 'won't be longs' before hanging up. But, one hour later Daryl still found himself waiting for the quirky blonde to arrive; his leg bouncing rapidly as his eyes fixed to the door of the waiting room. Never in his life had he wanted to see Officer Leon Basset come sauntering in and call out to him as much as he did then.

With a frustrated sigh, Daryl ran his hand through his short hair, sleep desperately wanting to take over. Glancing at the clock, he couldn't help but tut when he saw another minute pass.

"Gets kinda borin', doesn't it?" A voice broke out, snapping his attention round to face a young boy who sat in the seats opposite him "I've been waitin' for my Mom to pick me up for 2 hours now."

Great...'Small Talk' with a Justin Bieber wannabe...

Forcing himself not to roll his eyes, Daryl shifted in his seat. The last thing he was wanting (or needing), was to start conversation with anyone. But, to no such luck, the boy continued to prattle on.

"I'm Jimmy, by the way." He smiled with a small wave "You from 'round here?"

No, they picked me up in Guam!

Clearing his throat slightly, Daryl forced a smile while giving a slight nod. Taking his Ray Bans out, he slipped them on in hopes that the kid would get the hint that he wasn't the 'chatty' type.

"Yeah, me too..." He carried on happily, oblivious to Daryl's discomfort "Well actually, I'm stayin' here just now. College and stuff. I grew up out in the country." Smiling, he glanced at the clock himself and continued "Some guys from my dorm were havin' a party, and unlucky me was caught with the joint before it was busted. Mom wasn't too happy when I called her."

Biting his lower lip, Daryl practically growled when he saw another minute pass by and still no signs of Beth; Jimmy never once stopping for breath.

"They're lettin' me off with a warnin' this time." He so kindly informed, picking at the fraying fabric on the chair "Since it's my first time in trouble and all. Mom will be happy about that...What are you in for?"

He literally had one chance to get the boy to shut up.

"...Knee-capped a guy..." Was his lie in response, his voice overly gruff as he slowly turned to face the boy.

There was no way in hell he was telling the kid he was arrested for stealing a pink Prius.

"I warned the son-of-a-bitch not to mess with me. I warned him, but the idiot did." Daryl continued, struggling to contain himself at the fear filling the boys eyes, his jaw resting on the floor "Cops caught me 'fore I could finish the bastard off...But I'll show him. Minute I get out, I'm huntin' him down...then we'll see who's laughin'..." Popping his knuckles he chuckled lightly "They don't call me Daryl 'The Hunter' Dixon, for nothin'..."

Looking slightly terrified, Jimmy sat back in his seat, his audible gulp causing the corners of Daryl's lips to turn up. Silence truly was golden. Before the boy could even think about opening his mouth, Leon picked his moment to walk in; a huffed sigh and a nod of the head letting 'The Hunter' know that he was free to leave. Removing his sunglasses, Daryl shot the kid a quick wink; a panicked babbling bursting forth from the boys lips before he made his exit.

"Whatever you said to him..." The officer sighed with a slight shake of the head "...Just...don't tell me."

Chuckling, Daryl rolled his eyes as Leon lead the way down the corridor towards the front desk. As he had suspected, Beth was sitting out front waiting on him, her smile so bright he was convinced he was going to have to stick the Ray Bans back on to prevent blindness. You'd think getting dragged out of bed at the ass-crack of dawnwould have been enough to dampened her mood just a smidgen. He should have known by now never to assume anything when it came to that bundle of joy.

To say that she looked tired would be an understatement. Even with the beaming grin Daryl could see the exhaustion hidden behind her big blue eyes. Her usual wild mane of golden curls had been pulled up into a messy bun, a look Daryl had never seen before, but one he couldn't deny suited her. He guessed by the sweats that she hadn't even bothered changing before leaving to fetch his sorry ass.

"Uh...hey, Beth..." He mumbled, Leon gathering up the paperwork she had completed before leaving them "Thanks for comin'...Sorry I got you up so early..."

"Oh, stop it!" She playfully scolded through her smile, a slight wave of the hand telling him not to worry "I gave you my number for a reason. I'm just glad that you decided to use it instead of stayin' here and gettin' worn like a glove. I couldn't bear the thought!" Turning towards the door, she looked up at him with a smirk "Cute guy like you behind bars? They'd trade you like comic books...Or Kit-Kat's! I love Kit-Kat's! Oh...you would not do well in prison with me..."

"...Yeah..." He drawled out, her smile never fading "So...You ready to go?"

With her nod, Daryl wasted no time in leading the way out of the station into the cold morning air. At 4:15am, the streets were desolate; the only sounds were coming from cars speeding off in the distance. Feeling the autumn nip, Daryl blew on his hands in a useless effort to heat his fingers. Looking down at the girl next to him, he could only imagine how cold she was. Knowing it was the least he could do after she hauled her ass all the way out of bed, he shrugged off his battered duffel before handing it to her, her eyes wide as she shook her head.

"Don't be silly. You'll freeze!" She giggled "I'll be fine."

"Beth..." He sighed, still holding it out, shaking it slightly "Just take the damn coat."

With a small blush creeping up her cheeks, Beth gingerly took the duffel from his outstretched hand before laying it over her legs, the new found warmth inviting. Trying to ignore the sudden chill he was feeling, Daryl buried his hands in his pockets before they began to make their way down the street, the usual 20 minute walk to their apartment block seeming miles away. Clearing his throat slightly and running a hand through his hair, he glanced down at Beth out of the corner of his eye as she easily kept pace with him.

"I'll pay you back..." He quietly spoke, embarrassment slowly taking over "...Ain't no secret that I've been a bit of a dick since you arrived...You didn't have to do what you just did for me back there."

"Hey, forget about it." She smiled as they turned the corner "I'd hope if I was in the same boat, someone would help me out...Mind you, I think I could be quite badass in prison, don't you think? I could have my own theme song and everythin'! People could sing it when they see me comin'! They see me rollin', they hatin'..." Giggling she looked up at him, his raised brow reigning her in slightly "...You don't need to worry about payin' me back. I was happy to do it."

"Beth, I can't let you pay my bail and not pay you back." He scoffed in disbelief "That's just crazy."

"Well..." She began, bringing her chair to a halt "How about you buy me breakfast and we'll call it even? I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse."

Stopping in his tracks, Daryl looked down the street, a soft sigh escaping from his chest before he glanced down at her once again. He doubted he'd ever be able to understand the girl's logic.

"Breakfast?" He asked, his brow raised as she smiled up at him.

"Yeah." She replied, the tiredness in her eyes slowly fading away "Breakfast. D'you know anywhere open at this time?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Daryl gave a small nod, the corner of his lips tugging up ever so slightly.

"C'mon..." He mumbled, turning down the street once again "I know just the place."

………

Andrea's Diner was a small joint that sat on the corner two blocks from their apartment complex. A shit hole to the naked eye, but a joy to the stomach for those who were up for a bit of adventure. At 4:30 Daryl and Beth piled in from the cold; Andrea shooting them both a tired smile and wave from the bubbling coffee machine as her younger sister Amy (a girl both Dixon brother's would happily like to forget about), growled at Daryl as she wiped down one of the back tables. He could only wrinkle his nose with an equally deadly glare, something which did not go unnoticed by Beth.

Noticing Beth staring up at him, Daryl cleared his throat a little before leading her to one of the small tables at the front. Pulling away a chair for her, he went to sit, but not before Beth tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt.

"Ooh, lets sit in one of the booths by the window." She smiled, wheeling herself further down the diner while dragging him slightly.

Coming to a stop at the furthest away booth, Daryl quickly felt his nerves begin to rise. Did she need help getting out her chair? Did she expect him to lift her out? What if he hurt her? Or worse, what if he dropped her and hurt her!? In the space of two seconds he had successfully gone from cool, calm and collect to shitting breeze blocks. But before he could open his mouth to voice his fears, he watched as Beth handed him his jacket, hoisted her legs out of the footrests and swung herself out of the chair into the booth with ease; all the while leaving him completely gobsmacked.

"You'll catch flies with your mouth hangin' open like that." She laughed, while grabbing a menu "You joinin' me?"

With a soft nod, Daryl dumped his jacket into the booth before sliding into the opposite seat. All tiredness had seemed to have completely vanished from the bubbly blonde, her blue eyes now filled with life and excitement. Trying to stifle a yawn, Daryl wished he could say the feeling was mutual. As much as he tried, he couldn't deny that there was an element to the girl that fascinated him. The all too familiar smile that graced her soft features as she scanned the menu was enough in itself to cause a thousand questions to run through his mind.

Grabbing his own menu from the grubby pile, Daryl glanced at it for a whole 2.5 seconds before sitting it back down. With tiredness weighing heavy, he ran a hand down his face; Beth giggling slightly at his dishevelled appearance as she sat her own menu back down. Too happy...Girl's too damn happy...Face buried in his hands, Daryl lost his fight with the stifled yawn, the loud moan finally bursting forth. Wiping the tears away that came to his eyes, he looked up to see Beth still smiling. He didn't really know how to open conversation with the girl. He was quickly coming to realise that when it came to Beth, a simple thing like talking about the weather could easily end in a discussion about the 'wonderfulness' of Harry Potter's magical abilities. But when Amy came stomping up to their table to take their orders, Daryl would have been more than happy to engage in a conversation about any weird and wonderful thing on inside Beth's head.

"What d'you want?" She grumbled down at him while flicking her note pad open.

"Bacon, eggs and coffee..." Daryl replied in much the same tone, all the while rubbing his temples "Lots of coffee..."

Rolling her eyes, Amy wrote down his order, Beth's gaze moving between the two.

"A Mug or cup?" She asked, glaring up at him once again, her pencil tapping the side of the pad.

"A Bucket." Daryl answered with a forced grin, Beth biting her lip to hold back a chuckle.

With a scoff, Amy wrote 'mug' at the side. With her mood, Daryl wouldn't be surprised if she also added ' with a dash of cyanide' to his order. Shooting him one last glare, the fuming red head turned to face Beth, the daggers that she was originally firing Daryl's way, immediately fading away to a kind smile.

"Hey, what can I get for you Sweetie?" Amy asked, the gruffness leaving her voice completely.

"Hi!" Beth beamed back, looking at the menu once again "Can I please have...the double chocolate chip ice cream sundae, but with extra hot fudge sauce..." A little confused, Amy slowly began to write the order down "...And can I also have a large strawberry shake with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry..." She continued with a drawl "And...a salted caramel muffin to-go."

With a whispered 'sure', Amy wrote the order down.

"Thought you wanted breakfast, Beth..." Daryl mumbled, his brow quirked.

"Life is far too short to start the day with main courses, Daryl Dixon." Beth replied in a matter of fact tone before turning to Amy with a smile "Thank you." Leaving the table, Amy handed the order to Andrea as Beth turned back to face the man before her, a soft giggle escaping passed her lips "She seemed...nice...ex-girlfriend?"

"Oh, fuck no!" Was Daryl's shocked response, Amy glaring at him from the front counter "She 'dated' Merle a while back. Didn't end well."

"Then why does she hate you?" Beth quizzed, resting her chin in her hands "It's not your fault."

"No, you're right..." Daryl agreed with a slight nod "But when the asshole brother forgets to tell the girlfriend that he's breakin' up with her and the younger brother takes it upon himself to inform her of the split, then he kinda becomes involved."

With a gasp, Beth turned to look at Amy, sadness dancing in her eyes.

"Oh, how awful. The poor girl..." She cooed, a hand flying to her chest before she turned back to face Daryl "Maybe we should buy her some Ben & Jerry's."

Glancing back over at the fiery girl, Daryl could only grumble when she flipped him the bird.

"Somethin' tells me that her hatred for me will help her through." Was his mumbled answer.

Silence fell upon them as Amy stormed back over with their drinks. Carefully setting them down, she made sure she threw a glare in Daryl's direction before smiling sweetly at Beth. With a grateful nod, Beth immediately dived in to her shake as Daryl generously added sugar to his steaming mug.

"So...Daryl..." Beth smiled, shocking him slightly that she addressed him by his first name only "Tell me a little bit about yourself."

"S'not much to tell..." He replied with a half-hearted shrug before setting the sugar down.

"Oh, I don't believe you at all!" Beth giggled, popping the cherry into her mouth "I think there's plenty of fascinatingly, wonderful things to learn about you." Greeted with nothing but silence, Beth could only roll her eyes "Ok...how about I ask you a question, then you ask me one? Might help us get to know each other a little...what d'you say?"

Again, he only shrugged, but for Beth that was as good a response as any.

"Ok, great..." She smiled, tucking a fallen curl behind her ear "So, Daryl, what do you do for a livin'?"

Taking a sip from his coffee, Daryl had to hold back his inward sigh. He knew that she was only easing him into conversation. Starting with the generic questions. For all he knew, the girl might have genuinely been interested.

"Thought you pickin' me up at the station would have answered that." He mumbled, trying hard not to sound rude "...Let's just say, I'm between jobs at the moment."

Seeming happy with the blunt answer, Beth smiled before hooking her finger into the cream and scooping up a big dollop.

"There!" She beamed, popping her finger into her mouth "...Feel like I know you a bit better already."

Feeling the corners of his lips tug up slightly, Daryl felt himself begin to relax. She had to be the first person not to look at him like he was piece of trash for his current 'occupation'. Not that he went around blabbing it to begin with, but he found that people were very quick to suspect.

"Right, now it's your turn." She encouraged "Anythin' you want to know, just ask."

Knowing that the most obvious question was probably not the best one to start with, Daryl took another sip from his mug while trying to scrape his words together.

"Uh..." He stumbled out "What do you...do for fun?"

Great...you sound like you're askin' questions for an online datin' profile, you idiot!

"Fun?" She smirked, a playfulness in her eyes "Well...I like to read...watch films...go long walks in the park..." He had to stop himself from opening his mouth at the word 'walks' "I like to always be doin' somethin' y'know? Somethin' excitin'. Like dancin'! I love dancin'!" He'd be honest in saying, he didn't know if she was kidding or not "What about you? What's your idea of fun?"

"I...don't know really..." Was his honest response "I guess, I like goin' out on my motorbike...Does that count as fun?"

"You ride a motorbike!?" Beth bellowed, her hands slamming on the table in excitement "I've always wanted to ride a motorbike! It looks so much fun!"

"Why haven't you?" Daryl quizzed as Amy brought them their food.

The minute the question spilled out, he could have kicked himself. Obviously hearing the end of their conversation, Amy could only shoot him a look that practically screamed out 'what a fucking idiot'. But, ignoring the tension, Beth thanked the red head for her sundae before turning her attention back to Daryl.

"Well...I don't really like the wind messin' up my hair." She joked, Daryl visibly relaxing from her response "Just kiddin'...No, I've always wanted to, but my Daddy has never been a big fan of the idea." Taking a large spoonful of her sundae, she carried on "He worries about me. I'd still love to ride, but I know it's not really a possibility if I can't hold myself up on it..." Popping the ice cream into her mouth, she smiled "There are bikes out there for wheelchair users though, but they're really expensive."

"Well, that's shit." Daryl muttered, digging into his eggs.

Feeling happier that the she had brought the subject up, Daryl picked his moment to ask her the question he was desperate to know about.

"Don't feel you got to answer..." He began nervously, never looking up from his plate "But...how did you end up in the chair?"

"Oh, please don't be nervous about askin'." She replied through a mouthful of fudge sauce "I'm happy to answer any questions you have." Wiping her lips, she smiled "When I was a little girl, my Daddy bought me a horse. Nelly, I called her." Sitting back in his seat, Daryl managed to look up "I loved that horse so much. Would ride her all over the farm...But Nelly was a nervous little thing, and one day when I was ridin' her, she stumbled upon a corn snake." Holding back a wince, Daryl let her continue "She got so startled she threw me right off her back...Haven't walked since."

"...Wow..." He stuttered out "How old were you?"

"Thirteen." Beth replied before taking another spoonful of ice cream "Been in the chair for 8 years now...But enough about me, I want to know more about you..."

A little confused, Daryl sat back in his seat. He couldn't understand the girls enthusiasm in finding out more about him. If he was honest, he couldn't remember a single time in his entire life where someone had wanted to find out things about him (outside an interrogation room that is).

"...I'm nothin' special, Beth..." He finally mumbled, poking at his breakfast with his fork "...Ain't got much goin' for me."

She didn't bother trying to hold the sadness back from her eyes as she listened to him.

"I wake up in the mornings...or afternoons, dependin' on what I did the night before..." He carried on quietly "Most days I go out with Merle and Martinez, and if I don't, I stay home. Life's pretty borin' for me, Beth...Don't really have anythin' worth livin' for..."

With a shrug he looked down at his plate before shovelling a fork full of egg into his mouth, but as he did, a loud bang rang out around him; the sound of cutlery hitting off the table causing him to snap up. Slightly startled by the noise, he was shocked to see Beth sitting before him with her arms crossed over her chest, her spoon lying off to the side, long forgotten. With anger (an emotion he was convinced she was benign to) blazing behind her eyes, she stared at him.

"What?" He finally spat out in confusion.

"Daryl Dixon!" She snapped back, her hands coming to rest flat on the table "Don't you ever say you've got nothin' worth livin' for ever again!" With the anger fading away as quick as it had arisen, her voice softened "You've got the future...that there is everythin' worth livin' for."

………

The sun had come up by the time they got back to their apartment block. After Beth's little 'outburst', she had quickly fallen back into her usual cheerful self, something Daryl had found himself quite thankful for. She had continued quizzing him throughout the rest of their meal, their journey home, and during their ride up the elevator, and to his surprise, Daryl had actually found her company in the end enjoyable.

She was caught in a fit of laughter when the elevator came to their floor, Daryl leading her out into the hallway as the doors opened. The whole building was still in dreamland as they made their way to their apartments, Beth forcing herself to quieten down a bit.

"So..." She began, smiling up at him "I've learned that you're 28 years young, you grew up in Atlanta with your brother, you're like the coolest person in the whole world, and ride a motorbike and you believe that One Direction are most likely the spawn of Satan."

"Sounds about right." He chuckled as they came to a stop outside their doors "And I've learned that you are 21, that you are way too cheerful for your own good, that you are a Hall & Oates freak..." Her smile only grew "And last but not least, that you believe Krispy Kreme's should have their own national holiday."

At her giggling, Daryl finally smiled, his own laughter escaping out.

"Now, see that..." Beth practically sang while pointing at him "That is by far the best thing I've seen since I moved in."

"What?" He asked through his laughter.

"A real smile." She answered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." He mumbled with a smirk, rolling his eyes slightly at her new burst of giggling "I've been a dick."

"No..." She replied with a scoff, her eyes wide as she dramatically shook her head "Well...maybe just a teeny tiny bit..."

Laughing again, Daryl fished out his keys and unlocked his door, Beth doing the same for her own.

"Y'know, you were right about one thing..." She spoke softly, glancing at him over her shoulder as he opened his door "You're not special..."

Feeling like he had taken an unexpected kick, Daryl tried not to let his smile falter at her words. Dropping his gaze, he went to hurry inside, but before he could, Beth's soft voice filled the space once again.

"You're incredibly special, Daryl Dixon." She carried on, her smile growing as he snapped back up to look at her "And...I'm really glad I met you..." Throwing her door open, she gave him a small nod "Thank you very much for my breakfast...I'll be seein' you soon."

Lost for words, Daryl watched as Beth wheeled herself into her apartment before closing the door with a smile. It wasn't until he was inside the safety of his own home did he let his own smile grow.

Y'know...maybe this girl isn't so bad after all...

………

A/N: Well...I really really really hope you all enjoyed that rather long chapter. Hopefully you're all starting to like Daryl 'The Grumpy Bum' Dixon a little bit more now. I wanted this chapter to be the birth of their friendship, and I hope it didn't disappoint. Thank you all for reading, please let me know what you all thought. Thank you :-) xoxoxox