A/N: I own nothing TWD. If I did, I'd have the cast read you all a bed time story shortly before tucking you in.

"Come on, one floor left to go" Beth encouraged Daryl as they both turned the corner of her apartment stairway.

"We're almost there!"

She turned to see Daryl holding one finger up, gesturing her to wait as he leaned on the wall trying to catch his breath. Beth started laughing, something she realized she'd been doing a lot that day; even more so during the last hour.

"It was your idea to take the stairs" she reminded him as she went back down a couple of steps to reach him.

"Yeah, 'cause if we'd taken the elevator I'd have fallen asleep on the way up" he grumbled which made her laugh harder.

They had arrived at her apartment a little before four in the morning and she was exhausted beyond belief. Even so, she had been dreading that moment all day, the moment when they would have to go their separate ways, so she greedily enjoyed his suffering, taking advantage of those last minutes together.

"Just pretend we're on one of those hikes you like to go on" she teased. They had learned a lot about each other that evening, and Beth made sure to absorb every bit of knowledge he had thrown her way.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs to follow her as they turned the corner moving up the next floor.

"I'm not wearing my hiking boots," he grunted as he let Beth pull him up the steps "plus I'm getting too old to stay up so late."

"Now Daryl, I thought we agreed earlier that even though you're 44, technically I'm older than you" she heard him chuckle as he remembered their earlier conversation. They had joked that because Beth preferred to spend Friday nights reading at home, was usually in bed by 9, and felt her knees ache when it got cold that made her the senior of the two.

"So if an old biddy like me can make it up four flights of stairs," they came to a stop as they reached her floor "it should be nothing for a young buck like you" she quoted his earlier words back to him as she turned to face him. He grinned and let go of her hand, moving it to play with the ends of her hair as his other hand gently gripped her left hip. She felt herself lean back on the door, holding his stare as long as he held hers.

"There you go 'sassing me again" he leaned close, less than an inch away from her face.

"It's what I do best" she teased back as she raised her chin in defiance. He grinned wider and lowered his lips to hers, initiating a kiss that made her lose whatever cool she may have had left. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled herself closer to him, wanting to feel every inch of Daryl pressing all over her body as their wonted kiss continued.

"So, an old biddy you say?" He exhaled after they broke apart. Beth shrugged and turned around, opening the fourth floor door before taking his hand again to lead him towards her apartment.

Beth sighed quietly as they got to her door. She flung her purse forward to dig out her keys, still stalling as much as she could. A quick sigh from him turned her attention back to her professor as she saw him try to stifle a yawn. She giggled at that sight, it really was late.

"Got 'em." She announced as she pulled them out making eye contact with him. "You've got me home in one piece, so your services are officially over."

She smiled sweetly at him, feeling a little shy once again. She looked down to avoid that gaze of his, knowing that if she stared back she'd never want to leave his side. As she glanced down, she had noticed that his pants hadn't completely dried from their time at the greenhouse. In an effort to shield her, he had gotten most of the water on him when the sprinklers had gone off.

"I'm so sorry about your pants again" she halfheartedly apologized, grinning widely at the memory.

He reached out and gently massaged the back of her head. "So sorry I probably gave you a concussion" he whispered back. She felt her face turn red at the memory from earlier when, on their way to her apartment, they had taken advantage of a red light. In their excitement, they hadn't properly gauged the space in his truck causing him to accidently bump Beth's head onto the passenger window as he pushed his lips against hers. It hadn't mattered to her; it had been an amazing kiss.

As she, once again, laughed at that memory, she ducked her head onto his chest in a feeble attempt to stifle her laughter. She felt his hand continue its soothing stroke on her scalp as his other hand drew lazy circles on her back. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself.

Is this real?

With another soft sigh she pulled back and stared into his clear eyes. She got on her toes and pressed her lips softly on his, a chaste kiss in comparison to the many kisses they had shared that night. She pulled back and smiled wide at him, feeling the butterflies continue their dance as he rewarded her with his own smile. She took a hesitant step backwards and turned to unlock her door, feeling silly at the realization that she was already missing him.

"Thank you for a wonderful…"

Day? Night? Journey?

She wasn't sure what she was grateful for, but he must have sensed it as he leaned down towards her and gifted her with his own chaste kiss.

"Thank you for a wonderful" he stated with a smile.

She signed deeply as she looked into his eyes one last time. She placed her hand on his cheek just to make sure, to be certain, that this was all real. He leaned into her touch as he closed his eyes, confirming the moment for the both of them.

Reluctantly she dropped her hand and turned around to open her door, stepping through the threshold before turning back to him.

"Have a good night."

He grinned again. "Have a good morning" he replied.

Neither moved.

"See you on Monday?" She asked feeling the shyness return.

"You bet."

She smiled wide as he started walking backwards, away from her but still watching.

"You should take the elevator" she called out when he was several feet away. She just couldn't help herself.

He chuckled. "Always sassin' me, girl" he responded before he turned around and walked away.

She closed the door and leaned on it just like she'd seen in all those terrible romantic movies Amy would make her watch. But in that instant she understood the feeling as she closed her eyes and replayed the last 12 hours in her head.

It had been a glorious day.

A loud yawn escaped her reminding her she was indeed real and not a character from a movie. And real people needed sleep so she pushed herself away from the door and headed towards her room.

Okay Greene. You have until you get to your bedroom to freak out. After that you have to calm down.

Beth started bouncing up and down, bursting into giggles as she skipped to her room. She stopped a few feet away and brought her hands to her lips, closing her eyes, and remembering every sensation she felt when his lips were on hers.

His lips were on mine!

She started jumping in glee again, not caring for a second at how silly she was acting. She was happy. Really, truly, happy. The hell with how I'm acting.

She settled down and walked the last few feet to her room, turning on the radio as she removed her clothes and went to put on her pajamas. As she started to pull her hair up into a pony tail, she felt a flower fall between her fingers. It was an orange blossom Daryl had plucked from the greenhouse right before they left. He had gently placed it behind her ear telling her it would bring her luck. She couldn't believe she had forgotten such a thing. She placed it carefully on her night stand as she crawled into bed, still a little sticky from a day of sweating, laughing, drinking, and just enjoyment.

Life is wonderful she thought to herself as she stared at the simple white petals lying on top of her books. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply as she felt the pull of sleep claiming her. Her last memory of orange blossoms blooming around her.

It was seven in the morning when Beth woke up, feeling groggy and knowing she needed at least five more hours of sleep. She knew that if she didn't get up at that moment she would not leave her bedroom all day. Luckily she had a long holiday weekend ahead of her and plenty of time to catch up on sleep. Besides, she knew her borderline delirium had been worth it.

She reached for her phone, beginning the self-debate as to whether or not to call Daryl when she noticed she had a text message from Maggie.

Of course.

She tapped the screen to open the message and groaned when she read it.

You come to the house the MINUTE you see this message.

"Oh Maggie" she sighed out loud as she typed her response.

Sure thing Mags, let me click my red heels and I'll be right there.

Elizabeth Greene. Get your ass here NOW!

Hold on, I'm looking for a portkey.

ASS. HERE. NOW.

So when you say "now," what exactly is it that you mean?

NOW!

"Yes ma'am" she addressed the phone, deciding to give her sister a break. She knew Glenn had to have spilled the beans about Daryl taking her home the night before, and Beth would have given anything to have seen her sister's reaction to that. Of course Maggie would want all the details, and she was happy to share them with her. If anyone was going to be happy at the turn of events the night had taken, it would definitely be her older sister.

Doesn't mean I can't have any fun at her expense she thought as she collected her things and got ready for the world's longest shower.

A few hours later Beth was pulling into the Rhee household. Right before she had a chance to step out, she saw her older sister come out of the house, putting her sunglasses on, and heading towards Beth's truck.

"Get back in that truck Beth, we're going out." She said as she opened the passenger door and let herself in. Beth climbed back into her seat and looked at her sister trying to decipher what was going on.

"Maggie, what are you-"

"Nuh-uh! Turn that engine back on and drive" Maggie instructed.

Beth did as she was told as she pulled out of the driveway.

"I don't-"

"No talking until we get there" Maggie interrupted, keeping her focus forward, no indication as to what was going through her mind.

Beth drove in silence, no clue as to where they were going. She figured she might as well drive down town, that being a safe bet.

"Glenn and I got into a fight last night because of you" Maggie stated still not looking at her.

"What? Why?" Glenn and Maggie rarely fought, so her sister's admission was very much out of the norm.

"He wouldn't tell me anything about you and Daryl. Said I'd have to wait to hear it from you." Her sister's voice sounded irritated and Beth couldn't help but laugh.

"Glenn just crawled into bed and said 'Daryl took Beth home tonight'" Maggie shook her head at the memory.

"Wow, he makes it sound so scandalous. Daryl was-"

"I said no talking until we get there!" Maggie interrupted again, causing Beth to turn to her and roll her eyes.

"Where exactly is there?" She asked after a few more minutes of silence.

Maggie finally turned to her sister and smiled "Sanctuary."

Sanctuary was a local brewery that had a great selection of home brewed beers and a surprisingly decent selection of food. Beth ordered her usual salad with a side of cheese fries, while Maggie got the House Burger. Beth wrinkled her nose as her sister ordered, remembering the last time she had eaten one of their burgers she had gotten sick. For whatever reason the Sanctuary burgers were a little too rare for her liking.

After their waitress took their order, Maggie faced her sister and went into what Beth could only describe as Best Friend/Best Sister Mode.

"So" Maggie put her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands. "How was the barbeque?" She smiled widely, raising her eyebrows a few times.

Beth rolled her eyes again.

"So I'm allowed to talk now?" She smirked.

"Yes, it's talking time. So talk!"

"First, tell me how Chuck is doing."

Maggie narrowed her eyes "Charlie is fine, Beth. He's fine. Now tell me about the barbeque!"

The waitress came and dropped off the girls' ice teas. Beth closed her eyes and took a sip before putting her glass down "I will not tell you anything about the barbeque until you tell me how my nephew is doing." She exclaimed with eyes still closed.

She opened them when she heard Maggie sigh.

"Glenn took him to the pediatricians this morning. He's okay, but for sure he'll have to get tubes in his ears." It was amazing how easily her older sister was able to switch to mom-mode. Beth recognized the worry in her voice that was specific to when she talked about her boys.

"We knew it was coming, still wish we didn't have to see it happen." Maggie's eyes had slightly lost the twinkle in them, clearly worried about her son. Beth reached out and grabbed her hand.

"You know he'll be just fine." She squeezed her older sister's hand causing Maggie to smile and squeeze her hand back. "Plus Shawn got them as a kid, and look how well he turned out!"

Maggie gave her a pained look at that comment before shaking her head and taking another sip of her drink.

"Yeah, let's not talk about how Shawn turned out." Both sisters giggle, bringing the lightness back into their afternoon.

"Okay…you've tortured me enough" Maggie moved her glass to the side, giving her more room to lean forward and stare intently at her sister.

"Time to talk Beth, tell me all about it."

Beth took a deep breath, and prepared herself to go chasing the butterflies again.

"It was…" Beth stalled, not quite sure where to start. She tried to think of a perfect jumping point when she felt her sister's eyes on her.

"Awww Beth…" her sister was beaming at her as she placed her hands over hers. "You are so smitten, you can't even talk!"

Beth withdrew her hands and covered her face as she felt the giggles overtake her. Maggie reached across and pulled her hands down and demanded her sister start from the very beginning.

So Beth did.

From the second that she realized it was Rick and not Tyreese's house they were going to. To the awkward moments when Beth went hiding in the kitchen and trying to figure out who her intended was supposed to be. To her running smack into Daryl and realizing it was him. To the hours they spent talking outside in the sun, both with the group and by themselves. To the front yard fireworks, and how all the women had laughed as the men struggled to herd all the children together. To the actual firework display where Beth and Daryl sat next to each other and how he had swept the grass from her shorts with his hands when they got up. Every little moment she could think of, she was excited to tell her sister about.

They were practically done with their food as Beth finished talking about the Flip Cup game.

"When Glenn got home last night Chuck and I were passed out. Glenn woke me up and asked about him. Right when I was about to fall back asleep he told me Daryl had been there." Beth smiled, wishing again to have been a fly on the wall for that moment.

"Well naturally, I asked him to elaborate. But all he said was that Daryl had taken you home." She reached out and took a crouton from Beth's plate. "Then he tried to go to sleep, wouldn't give up any further information."

Beth smiled, looking down at her cheese fries. She loved her family so much…

"So what happened after the game?" Maggie prompted her to continue.

"Well," she picked up a fork full of cheese fries and dipped it generously into her ranch "then it was time for him to drive me home." She smiled before she bit into her fries, looking up at her sister who had the most expectant look she'd ever seen.

"And?" Maggie emphasized the n as she stared intently at her sister. Beth felt her face growing redder and she looked down, trying to hide the gigantic smile that was forming, focusing instead on chewing her food without choking.

She swallowed and looked back at her sister. "And then the night became truly wonderful."

The rest of her holiday weekend was more or less the same. Saturday she spent the whole day with Tara and Amy, who quickly called Sasha over so that she would be in the know. While at the apartment, Andrea had showed up and demanded Beth re-tell the story, specifically about her and Daryl's Red Light Make-Out Session, as Tara had eloquently called it.

By Sunday she was still flying high with no desire to land. She tried to be embarrassed by it, how incredibly giddy she had felt, but she couldn't help it. It was the beginning of something new, so gosh darn it she was going to enjoy it as long as she wanted.

It certainly helped that throughout the weekend her and Daryl had been talking, either by text or actual phone calls. She had known he would be busy that entire weekend as he was spending the holiday at Meg Peletier's home building a shed for her, so she was grateful for whatever contact she got.

Meg keeps asking for you to come over. Told her I'm not her messenger.

Beth was back at her sister's house watching the boys while Glenn and Maggie ran errands. Charlie had his head on her lap watching a movie while Michael was in his bedroom working on a "surprise" for the two of them.

Yeah, you kind of are. She typed back, smiling at the image of Meg scowling at him.

That's what she said too. Damn women.

She laughed which provoked Chuck to glance up at her with a frown.

"You're laughing again Aunt Bethy. It makes my ears hurt."

"Sorry buddy" she ruffled his hair "but like I said last time, you can lay on the other side of the couch if you'd like." She leaned down and kissed him on his forehead.

"No, that's okay." Chuck turned back to the TV and snuggled further up her lap.

How's the kid?

Cranky, but okay. She looked down at her nephew, slowly rubbing his back.

Keep him in front of the television. Always cured me.

She laughed again and immediately apologized to Chuck. She wondered if she would have been talking to Daryl that weekend even if they hadn't spent the Fourth of July together

They probably would have she decided. They had already become good friends, and sharing was part of the package.

Gonna grab a bite with Meg and Susan. Call you later.

She responded with an "okay" and put her phone down as she watched the screen in front of her enjoying the movie where a giant, a pirate, and thief attempted to storm a castle.

As much as she tried to wish it away, Monday morning came and Beth found herself back in the real world which, coincidentally, looked just like the circulation desk at the library. The weekend after the fourth of July was always the start of the hustle leading up to the fall semester. Books had arrived, restoration orders were placed, and students began to sign up for the writing lectures that Beth and Tara had to give.

Both girls, along with Olga, were currently in the staff room looking over the final revisions of the Fall Semester college catalogue. For the past five years the three of them had a long-standing bet that whoever found the least mistakes in the catalogues would have to buy lunch for the other two. Much like the past five years, Olga was currently kicking their butts.

"Here's another one." The older woman highlighted the error in the catalogue as she spoke. "Its Ecology of Sustainability, not Sustenance" she giggled as she pointed to the page.

Tara looked up at Beth and arched an eyebrow "I feel like that's a mistake Beth should have caught" she winked at her friend.

Olga looked at the two young women and smiled at their expression. "Oh that's right" she turned to Beth "your gentleman friend teaches in that department doesn't he?"

Before Beth could come up with a response that wouldn't reduce her into a fit of nervous giggles, Patricia walked in effectively killing their mood.

"Order's in Beth, up front" she stared directly at her, though Beth noted a warmth in her tone that was opposite of her usual surliness.

Beth stood and turned towards the two women "Don't wait up for me, I'm pretty sure I'm stuck buying lunch again anyway." Tara grinned at her while Olga gave her a gentle smile.

Beth stopped at her office to grab a few order forms before she made it to the front. Right before she turned the corner, her skirt got stuck on one of the book carts, causing her to almost trip on her way out. She turned and pulled her skirt free before smoothing it down as she walked out to the front desk.

"God damn Greene, you're cute as hell when you do that."

She looked up and swore she saw stars as she found Daryl staring at her, the biggest grin on his face. She rolled her eyes, determined not to get embarrassed at her latest hiccup.

I am so past this she reminded herself as she walked up to the desk.

"There's a reason they keep us in the back" she smiled as she placed her elbows on the desk. He mirrored her pose as they both leaned forward towards each other both grinning as if each had their own secret to share.

"It's nice to see you Professor Dixon."

"Likewise Baker Beth."

She smiled wide at that, realizing that she very much enjoyed his nickname for her.

"It's almost lunch time." He slightly tilted his head as he looked at the clock over her shoulders.

Beth scanned around the library and noted Daryl was the only one up front.

"Did you tell Patricia you needed an order filled?"

"Nah, I told her I was here to see you and take you out to lunch. She said otherwise?"

Well what do you know; Pat does have a heart after all.

"No, never mind. Let me grab my stuff and I'll be right out."

She practically ran to her office to get her purse. As she walked back out she saw Tara walking towards her desk and practically laughed at the double take Tara did when she saw Daryl. Beth waved at her friend as she followed Daryl towards the exit.

As she felt his hand on her lower back, she wondered if she had imagined the weekend. This interaction with Daryl was pretty much exactly like the ones she'd had before, except the nervousness she usually felt was replaced with a new sense of familiarity, confidence even.

She tried not to think about it too much until they reached the library elevator. She watched him press the button as he looked down at her and gave her that familiar smirk she had grown to love so much.

Love

He watched her go inside before he joined her less than a step behind. The moment the door closed he reached down and held her hand, weaving his fingers with hers as they stood side by side. When she turned to him, he leaned down and brought his lips to hers, gently nuzzling them with his own. She brought her free hand to his hair and gently pushed him forward, applying the perfect amount of pressure until they were engaged in a slow lazy kiss that continued as they went down the three flights.

When they broke apart she kept her eyes closed.

"It was a real, wasn't it?"

She opened them to find him staring at her, a confused look on his face.

"'Course it was" he said with complete sincerity.

She breathed out and gently pulled him out the front door, leading them both to their little piece of heaven.

AN: Cause we totally needed something sweet after that devastating MSP, am I right?!

Three things: First, this is my last chapter as SlamBam04. Believe it or not, that moniker is quite telling of who I am in the real world and I kinda like that this part of my life is secret. So after this, all chapters will be posted on here under my Tumblr name PopCultureSalad. It's still me, your silly, goofy friend Mir (or Miri if you're nasty)

Second: I am so sorry, I am the worst. I promise not to keep you lovely people waiting too long for the next update! I wish I had an awesome excuse for my delay, but sadly, work and life took over as they are known to do.

Third: I hate that I waited so long in updating because it means it has been over a month since I declared my total love and appreciation for each and every one of you. Not only do you always make me smile by just reading, but the lovely messages I get from you all just humble me. Truly…thank you!

p.s. sorry/not sorry for the Harry Potter and Princess Bride references. They make me happy!