A/N: I own nothing TWD. If I did, you all know that MSF would have ended soooooooooo differently! (Crawls into a ball and starts crying again…)
It was the day before Fourth of July and Beth was sitting at the front counter of the library trying to sort through the student sign-in sheets. Patricia had gotten word that one of the many students who frequented the library had gotten past the security filters and had downloaded hundreds of pornographic files onto the school laptops. Both Beth and Tara had laughed when Pat had told them, and as a result were assigned the grueling task of cross referencing student logins with the sign-in sheets.
"This is so stupid!" Tara exclaimed, throwing her highlighter on the floor. "Like the creeper really signed in using his actual name."
"Don't assume it was a guy, Tara." Beth answered as she flipped over to the next sheet. "Girls are just as guilty at this sort of thing."
Tara chuckled and put her head down on the counter, clearly done for the day.
"Personally, my money's on Pat" Beth deadpanned, not looking up. Tara raised her head and let out a loud cackle, the one she used when she thought something was really, really funny. Beth was proud of herself at that moment, looking up to see her friend and then turning towards the front door just as Daryl walked in.
"Hey," she breathed out, feeling the all too familiar butterflies waking from their slumber.
"Hey yourself" he responded. They both turned to look at Tara who was still laughing and hadn't noticed him walk in.
"She alright?" Daryl asked as Tara finally noticed him, quickly placing her hands over her mouth.
"Nope, she's just Tara." Beth smiled at her friend, who had turned a good shade of red.
"Oh, so you're Tara" he smiled and Tara nodded, extending her fist towards him.
"Yup, and you're Daryl" she answered still holding her arm out. Daryl looked at Beth who just shrugged.
"It's what she does" Beth explained with a smile. He chuckled and returned Tara's fist bump.
"So what's going on in the library today?" He asked looking down at the papers on the desk. Tara started laughing again and Beth felt her face grow red.
"Someone, um, interfered with the library's security filters" Beth pushed her braid back behind her ear as she explained.
"Some horny student downloaded a shit ton of porn" Tara translated, causing Beth's face to turn redder and Daryl to look surprised.
"Thanks Tara" Beth stood, reaching down for her purse. Tara raised a thumbs up causing Daryl to laugh and shake his head.
"Damn students" he mumbled "always trying to get their rocks off."
"So where are we going?" Beth asked, trying to end further discussions about porn.
Daryl smirked and held the small counter door open for her.
"One of the science professors suggested this Italian restaurant out in Woodbury if you're interested."
"That sounds great." She responded turning to Tara who was grinning at them.
"Great" Daryl gave a quick head nod as he stood back to let Beth pass him. He turned back to Tara "It was great meeting you. Stay out of trouble this week, Beth's told me some stories about you."
Tara grinned wider "You just wait 'till I tell you some of hers."
Beth narrowed her eyes as she stepped in front of her, making her way towards the front door. They walked out and Beth turned one last time to her friend, who very enthusiastically waved at her before mouthing a "call me after" as Beth stepped out.
About three hours later, Beth closed the door to her apartment and walked into her bedroom. She fell face first onto her bed, not bothering to remove her shoes or sunglasses as she did so.
Okay bad ass, what are you gonna do? Laugh or cry? Laugh…..or cry?
She rolled onto her back and removed her sunglasses, throwing them next to her on the bed. After a count to 100, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, scrolling down to find Daryl's number.
She sighed and counted to 100 again before typing her message.
I'm SO sorry about your pants again!
She quickly hit send and tossed the phone next to her glasses.
Am I gonna laugh, or cry?
She was still deciding when her phone dinged. She wasn't sure if she was ready to look at it. She had pretty much made an ass of herself on her date with Daryl and didn't want the validation that was surely there on her phone. She sat up and reached for it.
I'm sorry I probably gave you a concussion it read.
She stared at the message. Laugh or cry?
She fell back and started laughing. A good hearty laugh that caused an ache in her stomach and tears to fall from her eyes. She rolled to her side, brought her knees up, and kept laughing. She was still laughing when her phone dinged again.
Should I call you every twenty minutes? Isn't that what you're supposed to do after a head injury?
Beth wiped the tears from her eyes and typed out her response.
Haha! That's not necessary Beth smiled as she sent it. She thought for another second, and sent another one
Besides, I'm thinking passing out would be a fitting end to this date :)
Almost immediately, he responded.
Ha! Very true. See you Monday?
Beth smiled, happy that he still wanted to see her.
You bet. Happy 4th!
Happy Fourth to you, Baker Beth.
Beth sighed, feeling a bit relieved. She went to her kitchen and grabbed a drink before picking up her landline and dialing Tara's number.
She picked up on the first ring.
"Tell me everything Beth!" Tara didn't even bother a greeting.
"It was a disaster!" Beth burst out, feeling the laughter begin to bubble again.
"A disaster? How!?"
Beth huffed as she went back in time to three hours earlier. Although Woodbury was a neighboring town, the holiday traffic made it so that it took them a good 45 minutes.
"It took us a while to get there. After about twenty minutes, the ride got pretty awkward, neither of us had much more to say" she took out a jug of tea from the fridge and went to her cupboard for a glass. "He kept biting his thumb and drumming on the dashboard, so I knew that he was probably as nervous as I was."
"Well, that's okay, it's to be expected. This was your first real date after all." Tara spoke in a calm manner, her usual sarcastic tone nowhere to be heard.
Beth blew a strand of hair off her face and continued "When we finally got there, the restaurant was packed, so we sat outside waiting to be called. It was so flipping hot! I kept sweating and sweating, it was not attractive. I'm actually not sure if it was due to nerves or the heat." She remembered excusing herself for a minute and pretending to call her sister just as an excuse to wipe the sweat from her eyes that was causing them to sting.
"When we finally got inside we were so hungry that we immediately went for the menus and just sat silently for an eternity while deciding what to get."
She heard Tara chuckle for a second "Oh that's nothing Beth! It's always annoying to have the waitress keep coming back while you decide. You probably just did them a favor." Beth rolled her eyes and sighed. Sure it sounded like nothing, but while it was happening Beth was panicking.
"What did you talk about?" Tara prompted her, something Beth needed when she was having a moment.
"Ugh, nothing really" Beth took a big gulp of her iced tea "it was typical filler stuff. Like, the weather, local news, how empty the school had been…"
"Anything personal?" Tara interrupted
"Kind of. He mentioned a brother, but I got the sense he really didn't want to talk about him" she sighed.
"I ended up talking mostly about Maggie, Glenn, and the boys."
"Aw, Beth that's good. It's important for him to know how much your family means to you"
"I suppose." Beth took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut "Things started to pick up as he started talking about that greenhouse of his, when I accidently knocked over a glass of cranberry juice all over his pants."
There was a pause on the other end that caused Beth to open her eyes.
"Go on" Tara's voice sounded strained, as if she was holding back a laugh.
"When he went to the bathroom to clean up, the waitress came up to me and told me to hang in there, because, and I'm quoting her here, 'blind dates can be something terrible sometimes'"
That was all it took for Tara to burst out laughing. Beth joined her, having already decided that she was going to find the humor in this experience.
"And what happened after?" Tara managed to ask.
"The waitress asked if I wanted her to do the fake phone call thing to get me out of the date. I smiled and told her it wasn't necessary."
"So she was looking out for a sister…I respect that!"
Beth laughed harder. Tara always had a way of putting a spin on anything.
"We finished eating and then took off. We had more to say on the way back, thank goodness. That part was kind of nice. Then just a few minutes ago, as he was walking me to my door, I turned to say goodbye and somehow managed to get clobbered in the face."
"What? How?"
"He was leaning in or something, I dunno. I just turned and both our faces smacked into each other."
It dawned on Beth the exact second Tara spoke it "Do you think he was going in for a kiss?"
Beth didn't respond, didn't know what to say to that.
"Well, at least you two have a fantastic story to share with your future grandchildren."
"Ha ha, I guess. It was less than magical, I will say that."
"Yeah maybe, but it's kind of fitting for you both don't you think? I mean, you're kind of adorable like that, and Daryl isn't exactly the smooth socializing type."
"How would you know?" Beth answered rather briskly, feeling protective of him.
"Maybe Drea has been doing some research for Amy and I" Tara chuckled "We're just looking out for you friend."
"Oh my god, tell Andrea to stop all that!" Beth felt her face grow red again, probably for the hundredth time that day.
"Well, first date out of the way at least. All others will be wonderful in comparison."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks friend." Beth smiled and took her drink to the couch.
She took a moment to reflect back on the date. It really wasn't as bad as she made it seem to be, and they did get to know more about each other. Tara was right, anything that happens from that moment on will be perfection in comparison. She was going to make sure of it.
"So tell me, friend" Beth tucked her legs underneath her as she changed the phone to her other ear "on to more serious matters. Any luck in finding our computer culprit?"
"No, but I'm starting to suspect you're right about Patricia."
Beth smiled and relaxed into her seat as she listened to Tara's theory, grateful as always, for the wonderful people in her life.
Beth knew something was wrong as soon as she pulled up to her sister's home. For one thing, there wasn't anyone outside and the Fourth of July banners that her sister always put up weren't up on display. She took out her cupcake tray and walked towards the door, which Michael had opened for her once she stepped up the first step.
"Charlie isn't feeling good Aunt Bethy" he said in way of greeting. Beth pouted and followed him into the kitchen where Glenn was currently filling a plastic cup with water. "Hey Beth" he said as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hey. What's wrong with Chuck?" she asked as she put the cupcakes down.
"Ear infection" he frowned
"Oh no, again? That's the third one this year" Beth felt her eyes tear up. She hated when her boys were sick.
"Yeah, we may have to finally get tubes placed in his ears." He shook his head as he walked out of the kitchen, Michael and Beth following him. As they reached the hallway, Glenn turned and gave Michael the cup. "Remember to be quiet when you go in okay" Muck nodded and went into the bedroom. Glenn stepped aside to let Beth in, and she saw Maggie sitting on the bed next to Chuck, slowly rubbing his back.
"Here you go brother" Michael stood by his bed and waited until Charlie slowly turned around and sat up reaching for the water. Maggie leaned down and kissed him before standing up and walking towards Michael, picking him up and leading them out of the room. Beth sat next to Charlie and took the cup from him when he was finished.
"I'm sick" he whispered as he lay back down
"I know sweetie" she whispered back and placed her hand on his head. She stroked his hair until he fell back to sleep. She reached down and kissed his forehead before stepping out of the room herself.
As she walked towards the family room, she heard Maggie and Glenn having some sort of argument.
"Glenn, really honey, its fine. Plus you stayed with him all day yesterday."
"I don't know, I'm not really in the mood anymore."
"Well, it's better than staying here. Plus, I know Michael would want to go, and you can take Beth with you."
"What's going on now?" Beth asked as she entered the room
"Tyreese had invited us to go to his BBQ today, so I'm telling Glenn that he should go. No use for all of us to stay in today."
Glenn shrugged as he made his way into the kitchen. "Michael really wanted to see fireworks, and there will be kids there for him to play with so it should be fun." Maggie continued as she sat in front of a laundry basket, beginning to sort shirts and socks.
"But what about you?" Glenn asked as he walked back into the room with two juice boxes. He had a pained look on his face, clearly conflicted as to what to do.
"I'll be fine. Charlie will be knocked out all night with those antibiotics we got from Urgent Care and I'll get to catch up on the DVR." Glenn sat across from Maggie and put the straws in both of their juice boxes before handing one to her. He leaned back on the couch and absentmindedly began drinking from his.
"Besides, there isn't much we can do until tomorrow anyway" Maggie took a sip and looked up at Beth "He's got an appointment with Dr. Subramanian then." She clarified as she placed her hand on top of Glenn's.
He looked up at Beth as if asking for her input.
"Come on," Maggie turned to her husband again "you know how much Muck was looking forward to fireworks. We'll be fine here, just go." She nudged him gently until he begrudgingly got up. Glenn called for Michael to get ready and then went into Charlie's room.
"I'll stay here with you Mags , don't want the both of you to spend it alone." She sat down next to her sister.
Maggie just shook her head as she gulped down some more juice "Don't be silly, go with Glenn. Honestly, it'll make me feel a hell of a lot better knowing you'll be there watching Muck as well" she smiled as she reached down to the laundry basket again. "Besides, I bet Sasha and Bob will be there, you'll have fun. Let this be your 'something new' for today" she grinned at her while folding some socks together. Before Beth could argue, Michael came running up to her.
"You coming with us, Aunt Bethy?" He bounced as he looked at his aunt. Beth sighed as she looked into those dark brown almond eyes.
"Yeah, Mucky-Muck, I'm coming with you."
The drive up wasn't very long, just under 15 minutes. Michael couldn't stop talking about playing with Tyreese and Karen's kids, Trevin and Emily. Beth had never met them, but from the way Muck and Glenn described them they seemed like good kids.
They turned the corner that led to a cul-de-sac and Glenn and Beth scanned the packed street trying to find parking.
I'm guessing I didn't bring enough cupcakes
"This is a cute neighborhood" Beth said when they found an empty spot around the corner. "No wonder Tyreese wanted the party at his place." She told Glenn as she helped Michael get out of his booster .
"It's actually not Tyreese's house" Glenn explained, grabbing Michael's hand as they made the short walk to the house.
"What do you mean?" She asked holding the plastic tray containing her cupcakes close to her chest.
"Ty and all of his buddies swap holiday parties" he explained as he led them towards the house. "He keeps asking when we're going to join the circle. Every year Tyreese's family host Halloween , Abraham's host Thanksgiving…" the three of them walked through the wooden gate surrounding the two story brick house just in time to see Rick Grimes coming out the front door, tray full of buns in his hands.
"And Officer Rick Grimes hosts Fourth of July" Beth finished causing Glenn to look at her with a confused look.
Such a friggin small world!
"Trev!" Michael shouted as he spotted and ran towards his friend, effectively announcing their arrival. Tyreese, who was currently behind a large BBQ, looked up and smiled as soon as he saw Beth and Glenn.
"You made it." Tyreese set his tongs down and began walking towards them. Rick turned to see who Ty was talking to and immediately grinned when he made eye contact with Beth. She waved shyly as they both approached them.
"Hey man, how's it going?" Glenn walked up gave Tyreese a brief hug as he pulled away and turned to Beth.
"Beth, how great to see you" be brought her in for a big bear hug.
"Tyreese, awesome to see you as always" she stepped back and saw that Rick had walked up next to him.
"This is Glenn, we work together" Tyreese turned to introduce both men.
"Glenn, real nice to meet you, I'm Rick" he said in his thick southern drawl. He then turned to Beth and placed his hand on her shoulder "and Beth, what a fantastic surprise. Michonne said you weren't able to make it."
She felt Glenn's eyes on her and smiled at him "I know his wife" she explained before turning back to Rick.
"Well, I usually spend the holidays with my sister and these guys," she gestured at Glenn and Michael who was currently blowing bubbles with Trevin "but this year was different." She shrugged, not quite over the shock of ending up at Rick's home.
"Charlie, our youngest, is sick with an ear infection" Glenn explained "Maggie stayed with him and made us come out today."
"I'm sorry about your son, but I'm happy you three could join us" Rick led them towards the house, Beth scanning the yard looking for Sasha or Michonne. There were quite a few people there, none of which Beth recognized.
"And Beth, I'm especially glad that you're here" it was the tone of voice that Rick used that clued her in. The conversation she had overheard between him and Michonne a couple of days earlier came back to her.
"He thought you might hit it off with a friend of his that's coming over."
"Michonne!" She said a little too ecstatically, causing all of them to stop and stare at her.
"Ha" she giggled nervously "I should say hello to Michonne" she started walking towards the front door, grasping her tray tightly "It would be rude after all, not to say hello to her, she was the one who invited me."
Tyreese and Rick simply stared at her with mild amusement whereas Glenn had a huge smile on his face, knowing her well enough not to follow and let her be.
Jerk knows me too well
Once inside, she found her way towards the kitchen, stopping along the way to look at all the family portraits surrounding the walls. She placed her plastic tray down on the counter and looked out the window that faced the backyard, scanning the guests, wondering if she could single out the friend Rick wanted her to meet. She saw Rick and Glenn walk across the yard, apparently giving him a tour based on his hand gestures. A little while later she saw Rick approach a younger man who looked to be around her age. She saw Rick introduce him to Glenn and then gestured towards the house. Hmmm, I wonder if that's him she considered as she stared at the man a little harder. He was very cute, in a cocky sort of way. I bet he's a cannibal or something sick like that she concluded, already dismissing him.
"Rick told me you were in here" Beth jumped and turned to see Michonne standing at the doorway holding baby Cadie in her arms "I'm so happy you were able to make it!"
"Can you believe this small world?" Beth laughed as she walked up to her and gave her a hug.
"I do believe it! When you find good people, the world finds a way to keep them close to you" she turned to Cadie and pressed a kiss on her forehead "my dad use to say."
"Well your dad is a very smart man" Beth said as she grabbed Cadie's feet and started playing with them. "My mom always said that it was bad form to arrive at a gathering without bringing anything to share." She turned and gestured at her plastic tray "Unfortunately I don't think there are nearly enough for everyone."
Michonne walked towards the cupcakes and looked them over. "That's enough for my nephews and brother in law, but not for a house full of guests" Beth further apologized as she walked to stand next to her.
"Who cares about a house full of guests?" Michonne looked at Beth as she grabbed a cupcake "As long as there are enough for me and myself, I'm happy." She grinned as she took a bite. Beth laughed as she looked past her shoulder out the window again. Rick was still talking to that handsome man as they walked out of her sight. Beth sighed quietly wondering how long she'd be able to put it off.
"Please make yourself at home, I gotta take this one upstairs for a diaper change" she mumbled as she stuffed the rest of the cupcake into her mouth and grabbed another one.
"Let me come with you, I'll help you" Beth offered eager to hide from Rick a little longer.
"No, its fine, I'll be back in a bit." She took another bite as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving Beth alone again. She walked towards the window and resumed her search.
After a few minutes, she turned her back to the window and leaned back, bracing her hands on the sink behind her.
"Okay Badass, you got this" she whispered to herself "So Rick wants you to meet a friend, big whoop. It'll be awkward for a second and then it won't." She closed her eyes.
Three, two, one, breathe.
Beth opened them, took a couple of jumps to get her blood flowing, and walked out the kitchen.
I'm not going to hide out from a GUY at a party she scolded herself as she walked out into the living room. Oh God, what would Maggie say if I told her- her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she ran into a wall. Wait, not a wall she realized as she felt two strong arms holding her up.
"Easy there, girl" she heard the man chuckle as his hands tightened on her arms.
Beth looked up and immediately felt her stomach sink.
"Daryl!" She cried and jumped into his arms.
She felt him tense for a second before realization set in.
"Beth?"
She felt his arms close around her, giving her the best hug she had ever received. She was never, ever, more relieved to see someone.
She pulled back slightly, still keeping her hands on him. "I'm so glad to see you" she grinned, not caring for a second that she had made an ass out of herself. It wasn't the first time with him anyway.
"Same here" he looked down at her, a big grin on his face, clearly surprised to see her.
"What brings you here?" He added, his eyes a little glazed over.
"Tyreese invited us. Well he invited Glenn, my brother-in-law, and I kind of tagged along" she smiled.
"Oh Chinaman is your brother in law?" She scowled at that comment which caused him to quickly shake his head "It's an inside joke," he explained stepping back and scratching behind his ear. "Between Glenn and I…" he looked a bit embarrassed which caused Beth to relax and giggle at him.
She sighed "I don't understand you men." She took a few moments to check him out. He was wearing a fitted black t-shirt and jeans, definitely not the usual wear she'd seen him in. Absentmindedly she brought her hands to her mouth, pinching her bottom lip, completely overtaken with how good he looked. She looked up at him and realized she was staring.
"So you like Cheap Trick?" She was referring to his t-shirt, the only thing she thought to say at that moment. He narrowed his eyes and looked down.
"Yeah, I suppose I do."
They fell into an awkward silence, the initial rush of seeing each other faded for a second. Beth looked up at him and tilted her head.
"What are you doing here?"
He smiled at her question "I'm a friend of Ricks," he explained "a brother of sorts. We go back a long time."
She smiled.
"A brother that I'm hiding from actually" he began biting his thumb and walked towards the kitchen, gesturing her to follow him. Once back there again, he made his way towards the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. He handed one to her without asking while taking the other for himself.
"Why are you hiding from Rick" she asked when he opened the bottle for her. He took the cap off of his and took a long chug. A really long one, as he was more than halfway done with it when he brought the bottle down.
"He says there's someone he wants me to meet, some 'sweet girl' he and Michonne know." He doesn't look at her, but rather outside the same window Beth had previously been looking out of. He takes another swig of his beer and turns back to her "The son of a bitch is trying to set me up." He elaborates, making sure Beth understands his dilemma. He turned back to look out the window, trying to guess who the girl would be. When Beth didn't respond he looked back at her. Beth was momentarily frozen feeling her heart begin beating to the tune of the butterflies. She felt her face grow into a huge Cheshire smile and shrugged as innocently as she could.
"Yeah, that sounds terrible" she agreed as she took a big gulp of her beer. She felt the effects immediately which didn't surprise her; Beth was always a light-weight. She walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Oh, you think it's that girl?" She pointed to a beautiful woman with dark curly hair
"Nah, that's Karen, Tyreese's girl" he grumbled taking the last sip of his beer, still scanning .
"Aw shit, it better not be pigtails over there" he gestured with his empty bottle. Beth looked in the direction and started giggling.
"I know her!" She exclaimed, spilling a bit of her beer as she spoke "That's Rosita. I don't think it's her though, last I heard she had a serious boyfriend."
Beth licked the spilled beer from her hands and took another gulp. She felt him stare at her as she did that but at that moment Beth couldn't drum up the energy to feel embarrassed.
"This is fucking ridiculous" he turned around after a few seconds and took Beth's bottle from her hands taking a very generous drink. She laughed and took it back "Hey, it's not my fault you're trying to fight love. Go get your own!"
Daryl grunted something under his breath and went back to the refrigerator just as Michonne returned.
She froze when she saw them both. Beth smiled shyly as she waved her bottled hand and took a big gulp. Daryl turned to look at Michonne and nodded in greeting as he pulled the cap off and took another swig.
"Oh, so I see Rick got to both of you." Michonne reached across Daryl and grabbed her own bottle.
Daryl narrowed is eyes in confusion at Michonne and Beth couldn't help it any longer. She burst out laughing as she stepped into his space and wrapped her arms around him.
"Meet your 'sweet girl'" she sang to him "and wouldn't you know it, I was here in front of you the whole time."
Michonne let out a loud laugh as Daryl processed what Beth was telling him. He raised his head and chuckled loudly as he wrapped his arms around her and played along "So this is where you've been my whole life, huh?" Beth nodded keeping her head tightly pressed to his chest.
"I see you're a happy drunk" He looked down at her, still with his hands on her back.
She nodded again as she looked at Michonne "We know each other" she whispered loudly from Daryl's arms. Michonne smiled and raised her beer at them as Rick walked into the kitchen.
"There you two are, I've been-" he stopped when he realized the scene in front of him. Michonne laughed as she handed Rick her beer.
For whatever reason, Beth wasn't bothered by Rick's match making attempts anymore.
A/N: I want to thank you beautiful people for hanging in there! This is when all the beautiful Bethyl you've been waiting for starts to happen! A special thank you to you beautiful souls who nominated this fic as part of the Bethyl "Best AU Fic" over on Tumblr. I think I cried for a solid ten minutes when I saw that!
And a super special thank you to all of you who not only take the time to read my story, but also to review it. I love you and like all of you. And every time I get a new ding about a new follow/fav I smile so wide people think I'm going insane. I am so blessed to have all of you read this. Really, thank you so much!
Also, I posted a story on here titled "The Moment When, After." I've been asked if I was going to write any smut for this story. My long answer is, no. I don't know how to write smut, and I am not going to make things awkward for you or myself by trying it. I loooooooooove reading it, oh lordy, do I ever love reading it, but writing it is not my thang. I do like writing sweet little love scenes though, and I do plan on writing that here, maybe even switching the rating to M, but before I do that, I'm going to need some practice. This is where the aforementioned story comes in. "The Moment" is currently a series of one-shots and the second chapter I just posted has the "smut" I was talking about. So far you lovely people have been very positive and supportive, so I'm going to try to keep practicing before I put it here. Dang this was a long A/N! Going to bed now…Elmyra style love to you all.