A/N: There's a blink and you'll miss it scene from 30 Rock on here. Also, when I started writing this thing there were THREE scenes I was super excited to write. The first was Beth and Daryl's kiss in the greenhouse. The second scene is the last one here.

I do not own any of these characters or any aspect of the show. If I did, I'd have the cast act out that one seen from Dirty Dancing with you. You know the one…

Beth realized she wasn't in her own bed before she became fully awake. She was also aware that it was too early to be up and that she was likely still drunk.

After blinking some of the sleep away, she opened her eyes and focused on the digital clock to her left informing her it was after 4 in the morning.

Instantly she heard a loud snore coming from her right. She would have laughed were it not for the pounding headache she had also become aware of. She closed her eyes tighter and took a deep breath.

She was curled in a tight fetal position; her legs bent up, hugging her pillow to her chest. She had been waking up to that positon for as long as she could remember, and the fact that her body felt comfortable enough to do that in Daryl's bed was not lost on her.

She felt a small weight on her right hip that slid along her side and stopped at her stomach as she rolled onto her back. She turned to Daryl and smiled.

Her professor was sprawled on his back with one arm over his eyes. His snores were loud enough to wake the neighbors, but Beth found herself loving the idea of waking up to that noise every morning. She looked down to her stomach and realized that the weight she had felt was him, his hand on her body. The fact that she hadn't been aware of that small gesture up until then made it that more intimate.

You tell me I'm your tether/I ground you here with me…

She rolled again towards him, tucking her head under his extended arm and onto his chest. On instinct (she supposed) Daryl's arm came around and curled across her back, tucking her further into his body. She heard him grumble something as he tightened his grip, only to let out another snore and fall back into his deep sleep.

Her head was still pounding. Her mouth was cotton dry. She could feel her skin sticky, itchy, and slick from the previous night. His snoring louder in her ears thanks to their new position.

She closed her eyes again and smiled.

It was the perfect moment she always wanted.

"Tell me again why Daryl isn't here?"

Beth glared at her brother in law across the booth as she helped Michael with his activity book.

"For the last time, Glenn, he's at Meg's today working on her car."

Glenn rolled his eyes and took a crayon out of Charlie's box.

"I just thought, now that you had a man, I'd have someone to talk to…" he grumbled to himself as he colored a race car in Charlie's book.

Beth turned to her sister who was already looking at her, huge smile on her face as she shrugged.

Beth would have found more humor in the situation had she not still been hungover. She had spent the majority of the previous day laying on Daryl's couch with him as they both complained about how terrible they felt, both swearing they would never drink again.

"Don't worry honey," Maggie reached out and took her husband's hand. "Daryl isn't going anywhere. Beth already took a very important step with him, so it's safe to say he's a keeper."

Glenn shot a look at Beth before turning to look at the boys.

"I puked in front of him." Beth corrected him as she lowered her head on the table in embarrassment.

"Ha ha, Aunt Bethy puked Chuck!" Michael gestured towards his brother as if he hadn't just heard the exchange.

Above her she heard her nephews and Glenn laughing, and she couldn't help smiling.

"Watcha got there in your hair, Beth?" Maggie asked

Beth put her hand to her ponytail as she lifted her head, pulling one of the white flowers off.

"I'd forgotten this was on here." She was still mostly alive when she woke up that morning, not really remembering the particulars as to how she managed to get ready to meet her family for brunch.

"He gave this to me before I left yesterday." She said as she looked at the small blossom. "It's kind of our thing."

"He gives you flowers?"

"Sort of." She played with the flower between her thumb and index. "He gives me orange blossoms from time to time. I think it's sweet."

She smiled at the flower as she placed it on the table.

"It's more than sweet Bethy, its downright romantic. You could be in a romance novel or something like that."

Beth rolled her eyes at her sister, regretting it instantly.

"Okay, how about this," Glenn looked up from his drawing.

"We'll send the boys over to the farm this Friday, and you two can come over for drinks."

Beth smiled warmly at her brother-in-law and turned to her sister.

You tell him she gestured.

Maggie sighed and rubbed her husband's back. "They can't sweetie. They've got a concert that night."

"It's not actually a concert" Beth corrected. "It's a musical they've been working on at the theatre these past few months."

"Daryl at a musical?" Glenn raised both brows and Maggie smiled into her drink.

He shook his head and turned to his sons.

"The things we do for love" he sighed.

The rest of the work week went by in a flash, which was different from what Beth was used to. Not surprisingly, Pat had been on "vacation" since the robbery, so it had been up to Olga, Tara, and Beth to keep up with the library's demands.

"We've got this, Beth!" Tara insisted Friday afternoon. "You can leave now and get ready for your hot date."

Beth groaned as she attempted to log in to Pat's database for the fifth time.

"I just know if I stare at this thing long enough, I'll remember my darn passcode and get us those order forms."

That had been the biggest burden since Patricia had been gone, getting access to the library files for orders. Patricia had allowed Beth access to it, making her have her own password, though Beth had never actually used it. Pat had always insisted on keeping that task to herself, which made it all pointless in the end.

"I have complete faith in you friend" Tara gently pulled her away from the screen "But the I.T. guys will be here on Tuesday, we'll just have to suck it up until then. Go get ready for that 'gentleman' of yours."

Beth's face reddened. She knew she was going to regret telling Tara about her previous week, but she was her best friend. Of course she was going to share.

She walked to her office and grabbed her stuff, laughing quietly as she heard her best friend telling Olga about Beth's date.

"Professor Dixon is continuing his courtship of our Beth. Bringing her white flowers, taking her out under the stars. He even brought her dinner the other night. You'd think they just started dating three days ago instead of three months ago. "

Something about that sentence prompted Beth to remember. She rolled her eyes at her own silliness and dropped her purse as she marched back to Pat's old station. She quietly walked between Tara and Olga and leaned down to the computer screen, clicking a few keys, and successfully, and finally, logging on to the database.

"Here you go ladies. Go crazy." Beth said as she turned back to retrieve her things.

Tara stared at her friend as Beth rushed to make an escape.

"Beth," Tara called out in an authoritative way. "What the fuck just happened here?"

"Nothing" Beth called out as she signed out and went towards the front door. "I just remembered my password is all. I'll call you after my date. Love you, bye!"

She hurried out, knowing she was almost free.

"Emily Elizabeth Rebecca Greene!"

Beth turned and moaned "That's not my name-"

"What was the password?" Tara raised a brow.

Beth huffed and tugged on her purse strap.

"Mr Blue." She whispered.

Tara stared for only a second before her head fell back and she began laughing. A laugh so loud all the students in the library turned round to look at her. Beth shook her head as Olga came out to see what was so funny. Beth let out a dramatic sigh and turned back towards the door, hiding the smile she kept until she got home.

Beth looked at herself in the mirror. She knew she was probably going to be freezing wearing a dress and all, but when she had found it she knew it would be appropriate. Black short sleeve a-line dress with white and green leaves patterned throughout. She opted for flats, feeling more comfortable in them anyway, and applied her new favorite red lipstick.

She still felt the butterflies in her tummy, a feeling that became stronger as she wrapped a slim belt around her waist.

I wonder if they'll ever go away she thought to herself. She suspected they wouldn't. She was ready to feel the butterflies for the rest of her life.

But for now, she'd be happy to settle for the night.

A brief knock on the door shook her from her thoughts. She ran her fingers through her hair, satisfied with leaving it loose. She smiled at her reflection for a moment before turning and walking towards her front door.

She opened her door and her smile grew wider. There was her professor standing at door, a small plotted plant in his hands, and an embarrassed grin on his face.

"I'm not a flower's kind of guy." He said as his greeting, which caused Beth to tilt her head in confusion.

"Then what are those?" She pointed at the plant in his hands.

"This is a miniature orange tree, these white blossoms will one day be oranges."

He laughed as he walked in, kissing her on the cheek before putting it down on the side table by her couch.

He turned to look at her "When it's ready, I'll teach ya how to plant it."

"You gave me a tree." She smiled as she walked up to him. "No one's ever given me a tree before." She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed him in.

"And, don't you forget that." He smiled back and leaned in, kissing her gently. She melted into the kiss, swooning at their less than typical rapport. For a second she wondered how other couple's did this thing. Then she realized it didn't matter.

They stayed connected longer than necessary. Or it was possible it was the perfect amount of time. When they pulled away, Beth looked up him and smiled. She secretly wished he would say something specific to her then, but was content with the look he gave her instead. Blue eyes looking down at her, a small smile on his lips. She gently tapped his lips with her index finger before placing a quick, last kiss, and pulling away.

"Come on, we can't be late." She reached for her jacket and held out her hand.

They went towards their usual spot of grass, which was fitting for so many reasons. Daryl held Beth's bag as she laid out the small blanket, taking her hand and helping her down on the ground next to him when she was done. Usually they sat across from each other as they ate and talked, so Beth was happy for the change, her sitting next to him, her body leaning on his. They watched the grassy field fill up with people, Beth waving at some familiar faces in the crowd.

"See any of your students here?" Beth asked, closing her eyes as Daryl absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair.

"Didn't come here to see any students" he mumbled.

"So why did you come?" She teased as she dropped her head back to look at him. He laughed and shook his head, placing his lips on her forehead and leaving them there for a bit.

It was the perfect evening for an outdoor performance. With the moon not making a full appearance, the stars were given permission to shine across a perfectly dark blue sky. Though the theater was getting fuller by the minute, quiet murmurs filled the arena, no one daring to speak louder than a whisper.

Beth looked down and scanned the small area around them. She smiled as she remembered all the times she had sat in that exact spot. All the emotions and hopes and daydreams she'd had prior to the present.

As the stadium lights dimmed, signaling the beginning of the show, Beth felt her eyes begin to water. Never would she have imagined her present reality. The perfection of it. A thousand daydreams would never get close to it.

And she had daydreamed it so much.

A string of guitars along with haunting piano keys began as a spotlight focused towards the top. Above the stage, a large extended scaffold which was usually hidden from the audience was in full display. On it, a small orchestra sat, musicians strumming their guitars, playing their violins. Below on the stage, a cloud of white smoke slowly moved across, dimly lit, giving the audience peeks of what appeared to be a forest.

Beth took a deep breath, letting the images fill her completely, mesmerized with the world in front of them. She felt Daryl stiffen next to her, and she wondered if he felt the same.

Another guitar joined the first, along with the unmistakable sounds of an organ. Beth followed the sound and noticed a small organ tucked neatly beside the stage. She recognized Aaron as the pianist. Daryl must have noticed her excitement as he soon followed her line of sight. He chuckled quietly in realization just as Beth turned back to the stage, just as a woman dressed in a sheer gray and green dress danced in front of the forest, her dress flowing within the fog. She began moving to the music in an elaborate ballet routine as another figure stepped from the stage.

"The fuck is that?" She heard Daryl mumble next to her and she almost burst into giggles.

"It's a faun" Beth whispered back "You know, half man, half goat."

He grumbled something else that she couldn't decipher.

The faun approached the woman and grabbed her arm. The woman turned and gasped, pulling away in apparent fright. The pair went on and began what looked like a courting dance as another man appeared above them on the opposite side of the orchestra. While the couple danced underneath him, the man watched them for a bit before addressing the audience and beginning to sing.

"My true love went riding out, in white and green and gray. Past the pale of office wall when she was want to stray. And then she came upon, a white and wounded faun, singing Oh, The Hazards of Love."

The man went on to sing about the courtship between the faun and the woman in white, as the couple danced below.

Beth had completely fallen into the world in front of her, glued to the stage throughout the performance. She watched as the faun, thanks to elaborate lighting and a smoke machine, transformed fully into a man. Beth watched as the couple made love under the moon, as the woman, named Margaret, left the man to go back to her family, and as she realized she was pregnant.

Beth was brought back to reality as she felt Daryl wrap his coat over her shoulders. She was surprised she had left the comfort of his chest and was instead sitting with her legs tucked underneath her, hands planted firmly on her thighs, leaning forwards towards the stage. She felt her face blush as he winked at her and placed his own hands behind him, leaning as he watched her.

Something about that made her heart flutter again. They were no longer at the stage where they had to be holding and touching each other at every second. Both secure enough to know how the other feels.

Beth turned back to the stage as Margaret sang about missing her love.

"And all this stirring inside my belly
Won't quell my want for love
And I may swoon from all this swelling
But I won't want for love"

Beth swayed as both electric and acoustic guitars accompanied a drum beat to Margaret's cries as she groped her stomach and walked across the stage. Beth leaned back against Daryl again and gently nudged his shoulder with hers, encouraging him to sway with her. He only gave her a side gaze before looking up at the night sky. It was clear she was enjoying the show more than he was.

The things we do for love.

The music shifted once Margaret found her beloved, William, into almost a lullaby. The couple embraced and fell on stage, onto a small pile of grass and ivy. William pulled a red flower from the stage next to him and gave it to Margaret as she began to sing.

"Huh" Daryl grunted, causing Beth to turn. He was fixated on the stage now, eyes wide, though Beth couldn't make sure why.

"What?" She asked.

"You think they're watering the plants appropriately?"

She stared at him for a few seconds and then looked back to the stage.

"What?" she asked again, not really following his logic.

"Some of those flowers are wilting. I gave them strict instructions before they took them out as to how to keep these plants alive."

Beth rolled her eyes and focused back on the show, grabbing his hand and squeezing it, her feeble attempts to calm him down.

"I'm sure they're taking good care of your plants Professor Dixon." She leaned on him as she felt him grunt.

Beth was definitely enjoying the show more than he was, though it made him being there with her that much more special. She turned her head and smiled into his shoulder.

A few songs later, the show went on intermission allowing Beth and Daryl to stand and stretch.

"So what do you think so far?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"I didn't think there'd be so many songs." He responded as he patted his shirt.

"It's a musical Daryl." She laughed at him as he pulled out a cigarette and went to light it in his mouth.

"There's a goat-man, and that girl falls in love with it. That's some fucked up stuff Beth."

She pretended to be offended and took the cigarette away from him.

"Just for that I'm taking this, and you aren't allowed to smoke it until after." She sat back down on their blanket and pulled out a container of chocolate strawberries.

"I'm also not sharing these." She took an exaggerated bite and blushed when she saw the look he gave her. He scratched his hair as he shook his head, sitting next to her again.

"I guess that last song was kind of catchy." He gave her a side glance right before looking at the strawberries in her hand. She turned and looked at him, smiling despite herself.

"And if goats are your kind of thing," he looked at the strawberries again "well who am I to say anything."

Beth laughed at that. She shoved the container in his direction and hid her face behind her hands, trying to muffle the laughter. When she looked up she saw Aaron smiling in their direction, who waved at them when they made eye contact. She nudged Daryl as she waved back. Daryl licked each one of his fingers before lifting his hand to half wave at Aaron as well.

"Still think he should have watered the plants some more" he mumbled as he shoved another strawberry in his mouth.

Beth was once again on her knees, hands in her mouth, leaning forward as the last song came alive in front of her. She'd stop caring that Daryl seemed to be more entertained with her reactions than the actual show.

"I pulled you and I called you here,
And I caught you and I brought you here
These hazards of love, never more will trouble us"

She felt Daryl lean forward next to her, snaking his right arm around her hips. With the use of smoke and lights, the theater had created a haunting image of water flowing throughout the stage, while Margaret and William sat on a rock, watching the "water" rise.

"Oh Margaret the lapping waves are licking quietly at our ankles
Another bow another breath this brilliant chill's come for the shackle."

"Are they about to drown?" Beth turned to see him staring at the stage, mesmerized with the actors singing and clinging to each other. Beth swallowed and shook her head.

"With this long last rush of air we speak our vows and sorry whispers

when the waves came crashing down, he closed his eyes and softly kissed her."

"Fuck." He whispered in awe and Beth shook her head again. It was haunting , watching the lovers on stage, appearing to succumb to the rising tides. The guitars and piano rose to a crescendo as the smoke covered more of the stage, the blue lighting bouncing off the mist. The couple kissed before they were completely surrounded.

The lights went out.

After a few seconds the audience went crazy, cheering and applauding as the theater lights came slowly back on.

Beth wiped her tears and stood, clapping and cheering along with the crowd. She smiled when Daryl stood next to her, clapping a little slower than her, but clapping nonetheless.

"That was amazing" she finally managed as the audience began to clear out. She turned to look at Daryl, watching him shake off the blanket and fold it.

"Yeah, that last song was good." He swatted the blanket some more before putting it under his arm. He reached out to her with his other, taking her hand and leading her through the crowds back to his truck.

"Thanks for coming with me. I take it this isn't your kind of thing, huh?"

He shrugged as he threw the blanket in the bed of the truck and opened the door for her.

He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"You're my kind of thing."

Except for the quiet humming coming from Beth, trying to recreate a little of the magic from earlier, the ride back to her apartment was quiet. Once there, Daryl walked her to her door and followed her inside. He sat on her couch and she sat next to him, leaning her whole body on his.

"Tonight was nice." He whispered into her hair.

She closed her eyes and pulled her legs up, leaning further in as his arm circled her shoulders and pressed her closer.

They sat quietly like that for a long time, Beth nonchalantly stroking his leg as Daryl's cheek pressed on her head.

She closed her eyes and grounded herself to him, something she found herself doing often. Sensing every square inch of where their bodies touched, counting the slow breaths he was taking. She curled her fingers on his chest and felt the friction of his shirt on their tips. She took a deep breath at the same time he did. She wondered if he had been doing the same.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

She didn't know what to ask him, just wanted to hear his voice. She pulled away and stared at him, smiling as she put her hand on his cheek. He leaned into it as his eyes remained on hers.

She looked over to the side table and saw the small orange blossom tree. He followed her line of sight and reached out, pulled one of the blossoms and handed it to her.

She took it and studied it for bit, suddenly being hit with a wave of memories. The first time he gave her an orange at the theater, their first kiss in front of blossoms in the greenhouse, him placing one in her ear shortly after, the many other times he handed her one of these petals during their beginnings.

Her heart started racing, and she wasn't sure why. She looked up to him and saw those blue eyes staring back at her, his look that always made her want to fly.

"Orange blossoms." She whispered. "What's the meaning behind them?"

He looked away from her and studied the tree at their side.

"You said before you couldn't remember. Do you remember now?"

He turned back to her and nodded.

"Yeah, I remember."

She held her breath as she waited.

"Eternal love." He finally answered.

Her smile faded at his confession.

She studied his face, eyes focused on her, a look of confidence draped across his features. Beth looked down at the simple white flower in her hand and then back at him.

It was too much.

She closed her eyes and opened them almost immediately.

It was still too much.

She slowly stood and brought the flower to her cheek as she placed her other hand on her mouth. She turned her back to him and walked a few feet away, willing her heart to slow down, and her lungs to catch their breath.

He loves me. He's always loved me.

She stopped and turned back to him and smiled, feeling warmth pool down her stomach as he returned the smile.

She turned back and walked towards her bedroom.

She knew he would follow her.

She was certain.

A/N: It's happening! And like I said…this is an OLD FASHIONED love story. So of course that meant saving the very best for last. In this case, the last chapter…..

The musical is my interpretation of the fantastic rock-opera The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists. All lyrics belong to them