A/N: So, it's been kind of a rough week here, and because this story is my drug of choice, and you all are my therapists, I wanted to update this fast. This chapter is a happy one, because we need happy in our world.
As always, I own nothing TWD. If I did I'd have the entire cast hire a mariachi band to come perform at your house, playing nothing but romantic ballads the entire night.
She was trying really hard to stay between the lines. Charlie had made Beth promise to color Hulk perfectly, otherwise he would get mad at her, and Beth wouldn't like him when he's mad.
Charlie was currently sitting on her lap watching her color, completely focused on the superhero in front of them. Maggie was sitting across from them, busy with her own page, quietly humming the Spiderman theme as she went.
"What color should his pants be, Chuck?" Beth whispered softly in his ear, squeezing him in a backside hug.
"They should be brown Aunt Bethy, duh" he replied reaching for the crayon.
If there was anything that was going to cheer Beth up after her eventful week, it was hanging out with the Rhee family. That never failed to do the trick.
"Don't you feel so much better now?" Maggie asked, still focusing on her page. Maggie still had that uncanny ability to read her thoughts.
"Absolutely" Beth answered as she turned her page slightly to get a better angle.
They continued their work quietly, listening to the soft sound of wax scratching on paper.
"There, all done Chuck." She held up the picture in front of both of them "what do you think?"
"It's perfect Aunt Bethy." He quickly jumped off of Beth's lap and went running to his room, undoubtedly to tape the picture up on his bedroom wall. Beth smiled as she watched him go, missing those simple days of her youth when all it took was a finished drawing to brighten her day.
She leaned on the table placing her chin on her hand "Be honest with me, Mags. Was I being too hard on him? Was I wrong in breaking up with him just like that?"
Maggie kept coloring as she shrugged "That's not up to me to answer for you Beth."
She reached out and took her sister's hand still focused on her picture "You're a smart girl, and if his actions led you to break up with him, then I guess you did what was right for you." Maggie put her crayon down and looked up.
"Besides, it's not like you broke up with him because you didn't like his earlobes or something like that. He hurt your feelings, and that's that. There is no right or wrong there."
Beth squeezed her hand before letting go and picking up the crayon Maggie had just put down.
"I know." She said as she started to scribble random circles on a new sheet.
"And now," Maggie continued sitting back in the chair "now you know what to look for in a relationship. You'll be able to recognize the signs better because of your time with Shane."
Beth nodded as she looked at her circles. This whole experience had taught her a lot, and for that she supposed she could be grateful.
"I guess now I know I don't like tough guys" Beth shrugged. "Big, authoritative, manly-man types"
Maggie smiled "See little sister, that's where you and I are different. 'Cause right there, you just described my type of man."
Almost as if on cue, Glenn walked into the kitchen
"Michael I told you, I'd get that ball down when I could" he said as he went to the refrigerator.
"But dad, the ball has been stuck up there forever. I want it now!" Muck squealed.
"I told you, I can't get it down until Tyreese brings my ladder back" Glenn argued.
Beth turned to her sister and saw Maggie dramatically fanning herself as she stared at her husband. She looked at Beth and mouthed the word "oh yeah" as she turned back to Glenn. Beth had to put her hand in her mouth to keep from laughing.
"Well call him now!" Michael demanded causing an obviously annoyed Glenn to turn around.
"No Michael I'm not going to call him. Besides, I'm reading the new Captain America so I'm a bit busy. Now, do you still want this juice box or what?"
Maggie had put her index finger to her mouth and bit it in mock arousal as she continued to stare at Glenn, and Beth had to look down at the table to keep from completely cracking up. It didn't work for long, because after a few seconds she started laughing so hard that she was gasping for air.
Glenn finally turned to the girls "Did I miss something?" he asked innocently as he looked between Maggie and Beth.
"Oh baby, you are such a turn on" Maggie said as she got up and pressed a big kiss on Glenn's lips, surprising and causing him to step back a few feet.
"Ew gross. Charlie, mom and dad are kissing again" Michael grabbed the juice box from Glenn's hand and ran out of the kitchen. Beth was finally able to calm down and take a deep breath when Maggie let go of Glenn, who had a look of both humor and confusion sprawled on his face.
"You need to quit it with the wine, ladies" Glenn exhaled as he walked out, following his boys.
Maggie kept smiling at him as she sat down at the table again. She turned to Beth and did a little shoulder dance before continuing with her coloring.
Beth sighed really deep and leaned back in her chair "You know Mags, there is something I'm grateful for, in terms of Shane I mean."
"What's that?"
"Early on, I made some comment to him about how I was a really shy, and the response he gave me was pretty great. He said he didn't believe me for a second. He said I was a strong, confident woman, and that was what had attracted him to me in the first place." Beth closed her eyes and remembered the conversation.
"How you going to say you're shy and insecure, Beth?" he had told her "You came into the building, looked me straight in the eye, and pretty much asked me out. There was nothing shy or insecure about that girl."
Maggie was looking intently on her, a small smile on her face "Did you feel confident?"
She thought about it for a second. "I did" she realized.
"Well then, that's another thing you can add to your list of important traits in a man. Someone who will make you feel confident."
Beth smiled and continued scribbling on her page.
"Although if you ask me," Maggie continued "I don't think you really need a man for that anymore."
Another positive thing about being newly single that Beth came to appreciate was how her friends gathered around her to try and cheer her up. Beth was actually doing fine, but there was no way she was going to turn down pizza and hanging out with the girls.
She made it to Amy and Tara's apartment and managed to open their door while simultaneously carrying two pizzas and a dozen chocolate chip cookies, Amy's favorite.
"Hey Beth, let me help you with that" Tara came out and took the cookies from her, leaving Beth carrying the large pizza boxes
"Thanks Tara…" she mumbled as Amy came out laughing, taking a pizza box from her.
"It's because she knows I won't be sharing those cookies with her once I get my hands on them" Amy explained while they walked into the small apartment kitchen.
"Why do I always get mixed up in your lover's quarrels?" Beth asked as she opened a box and took out a slice.
"Because you're the honorary third girlfriend" Tara called from the living room, making herself comfortable on the floor.
As Amy got the paper plates and cups out, Beth kept turning in the direction of the guest bedroom. She knew she was going to have to eventually confront this. It was just part of the process, the last piece of the puzzle that kept her from moving forward.
"Is Andrea home?" she asked Amy as she followed her to the living room.
"No, she's working her side job. No clue when she'll be back"
Amy had brought one of the pizzas into the living room and placed it on the floor between them. They had decided to have a girl's night in, pizza, cookies, and beer, complete with a movie that was entertaining enough to hold their attention, but not so much that it would distract them from just hanging out and talking.
Beth leaned back against the sofa as Tara scrolled down the television screen, looking for something to watch.
"Okay, can we all agree to watch something from the early 90s? You can never go wrong with something from that decade." The three of them agreed as Beth reached for her beer.
She frowned as she looked at the light blue can "Watermelon beer?"
"It's really good, you'll like it" Amy encouraged as she reached for her second slice of pizza.
"Sleepless in Seattle?" Tara asked.
"Too depressing." Beth said after taking a big gulp.
Both Amy and Tara stared at her.
"What?" Beth suddenly felt defensive "The kid's mom dies of cancer within the first minute. Plus, I'm not ready for a romance movie yet. Pass!"
"Okay, no romance and no death" Tara turned back to the screen and kept scrolling.
"Oh, stop! There, that one." Amy pointed to the screen "There's a little bit of romance, and a little bit of death, but both are done in the name of comedy."
Beth leaned forward towards the screen to see what Amy had chosen.
"Robin Hood: Men in Tights?" Tara scolded
"Yes, it's a classic. It gets my vote."
"I second it" Beth mumbled, mouth full of food.
"You two are strange." Tara acquiesced as she pressed play and reached for her food.
The title hadn't come up on the screen yet when they heard the front door open. Beth felt a little light headed and her heart began to pound loudly, which she wasn't ready to blame entirely on the beer.
"Hello ladies" Andrea announced as she practically ran into her room. Tara and Amy exchanged a quick look before both turning to Beth.
Beth smiled awkwardly and took another bite. Then she took another sip of her watermelon beer. That wasn't enough. She took a gulp.
Less than five minutes later Andrea emerged, newly changed, brushing her hair as she made her way towards the pizza.
"Don't wait up for me. I've got another date with my hot professor tonight" she exclaimed as she reached for a slice.
Amy rolled her eyes, as Tara looked over at Beth. Beth met her eyes and shrugged slightly.
"Well," Amy said as she swatted Tara's hand away from the food "make sure you tell Daryl that Beth sends her love."
Beth turned to her and tried to give her a dirty look. Andrea, for her part, swatted Amy's hand back and got a slice. She smiled at Beth and made her way out the door.
Beth closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat again, hearing the merry men rapping from the television, wishing she could just click a button and feel nothing.
The front door opened again, and Andrea's head popped in "Wait, what did you say?" she focused on Amy.
"I said," Amy attempted an exasperated tone "tell Daryl that Beth says hi."
Andrea shook her head "Who's Daryl?"
All three girls quickly turned to look at her, Amy slowly raising a cookie to her mouth.
"The professor your dating" Amy said as she took a bite of the cookie.
"I'm dating Phillip. Who's Daryl?" Andrea had stepped all the way into the apartment by then.
"Who's Phillip?" Tara asked.
"The science professor I'm dating. Who. Is. Daryl?" she walked slowly towards the girls, clearly a little amused by this point. Beth put both her hands to her face as she felt herself growing red.
"The science professor you're dating is named Phillip? I thought it was Daryl." Amy stood and walked to her room.
"You're really going to make me ask who that is again, aren't you?" Andrea called out after her sister before turning and looking between Beth and Tara.
Amy came back moments later with a copy of the previous year's school catalogue.
"When you said you were going out with a science professor from your department, you said it was this guy" she opened the catalogue to one that had clearly been marked and handed it to Andrea.
Beth was able to glimpse a bit of it as it was handed over. It was a picture of Daryl in front of a group of students, obviously some advertisement for the science department.
"Not that one, genius" Andrea's accent came out strong. She pointed to the bottom right of that same page and handed it back to Amy "That one. Professor Phillip Blake"
"Oh," Amy pouted as she looked down.
"Him?" She looked at her sister and Andrea responded with a smack to her shoulder.
"Daryl is cuter" Amy said as she went back to the floor and showed Tara.
"Oh yes, much cuter." Tara agreed and turned to Beth "Beth wins when it comes to choosing science professors."
"Wait, you're talking about Daryl Dixon!" Andrea exclaimed as she finally made the connection. She dropped her purse on the couch and went around sitting next to Beth. She took her phone from her back pocket and started texting immediately.
"What are you doing?" Beth panicked as she reached for Andrea's phone.
"Relax, I'm just telling Phillip that I'm going to be late" she said as she typed. She put the phone down and reached for a beer.
"I want to hear all about this." She shook Beth's shoulder lightly. "It sounds like it's gonna be a great story"
Beth smiled wide as she saw how excited Andrea was. She turned to look at her friends who were both smiling as well, Amy leaning her head on Tara's shoulder, encouraging her to talk. Beth shook her head and reached for the remote, raising the volume of the television, deciding to get lost in the movie instead.
The heat was getting to be too much these days, yet Beth could not stay away from her little piece of green once the lunch hour arrived. She got to her spot, grateful for the shade under the tree providing enough cool to make it bearable. She leaned back all the way and felt the soft grass tickle her back. She placed her right arm over her eyes, palm facing up, and focused on all the noises around her.
July was right around the corner, and the campus had grown quiet and slowed down some. There were very little faculty and students around, something that didn't bother Beth in the least.
She sensed Daryl approaching her, knew it was him before he fully arrived. She wondered if she would ever get over the initial shyness she always felt when he came by. She didn't remove her arm or sit up; she just continued to lie there. She was too comfortable, and wanted to enjoy the quite. She also wanted to get to know him better.
Beth knew what he looked like, was starting to learn his mannerisms, and could distinguish the sound of his voice. But now she wanted to learn what he sounded like when he moved, how he affected her surroundings, experience a different level of recognition.
She remained still as she heard his steps walk up to her. She heard him stop for a second, and then continue again before he reached her. She felt and heard a small thump by her head as he placed his pack down. She heard the way the air moved slightly as he lowered his body, as his hand made contact with the grass next to her, and as he settled all the way to the ground. She heard the sound of him fussing with his pocket, the unmistakable sound of him pulling out a cigarette from its box, and the click of his lighter.
She moved her fingers gently, as if playing the keys to an invisible piano, giving him a sign that she was awake and present. Her left arm was splayed across her stomach, those fingers mirroring the motions of her right. If she concentrated hard, she knew she'd figure out what song her fingers were playing.
"I'm sorry Beth." He said after a few minutes of silence.
Beth stopped playing her song, frozen at his words.
"I wasn't being very respectful to your man." Beth slid her arm to the top of her head and turned towards his direction.
"It's okay. He wasn't being very respectful to you" she responded sadly, not taking her eyes off him.
"Doesn't make it right." He said as he turned to look away, picking at his slacks.
Beth sighed and slowly sat herself up.
"Daryl?"
He turned to look at her. She smiled at him and reached for the bottom of his sleeve, which he had folded up to his elbows. She pulled at it gently.
"It's okay, I forgive you" she didn't let go of his shirt until he looked down. She hadn't realized that she was stroking her knuckles against his exposed skin. She quickly let go and felt herself blush. She pushed some loose hair behind her ears and focused on the grass in front of her.
"Besides," she continued as she started playing with the grass "he was kind of a jerk." She looked back at him "We're not together anymore." She smiled shyly before pulling on the grass again.
"Is that right?" he responded, a grin forming on his face.
She laughed as she saw it "Yeah, that's right. Why you smiling Professor Dixon? Break-ups are a sad thing."
He chuckled at that as he put out the cigarette beside him.
"Yeah, real sad." He said as he turned to her, smile bigger than before.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes "Nice to know I have your sympathy."
"I'll only give you sympathy if you're really sad about the whole thing." He looked at her, daring her to respond. Instead she rolled her eyes again and looked away.
"Actually, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of glad for it. It makes what I'm about to ask less awkward now." He looked at her and took a deep breath.
Beth felt her stomach do a flip, not sure what to expect.
"Carol" he said firmly.
Beth blinked and put her hand to her chest.
"Beth." She said as if introducing herself for the first time.
"No," he laughed, clearly a little embarrassed.
"Carol" he attempted again "It's her birthday next week."
Beth felt her hand close into a fist on her chest, felt her eyes beginning to water.
"Her mother and sister want to throw her a party of sorts. Well, more like a brunch really. It's just an excuse for some of her family and friends to get together and remember her."
Beth's face lit up in a smile at that thought of that.
"I was wondering" he added slowly "if you wanted to come with me."
"Yes" Beth answered without giving it any thought. "I would love to come."
"Yeah?" She didn't know why he would be so surprised.
Beth smiled and nodded in response.
"Well alright then" he smiled at her.
"Alright then" she responded.
Blue. That was the song she had been playing.
A/N: Fooled you! Daryl was never with Andrea.
By the way, watermelon beer is legit good. Try it if you get a chance :) Also, because I'm a dork with a account, I snuck in an Arrested Development reference.
I literally cannot thank you beautiful people enough. I'm sorry if you're all tired of hearing how much I love you all, and how much I appreciate every word! I'm not tired at all about telling you!