Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter and especially for the favs and follows :-)

We are getting closer to the main story line.

These first three chapters were more like a little back story of them.

I am currently also working on a new Bethyl AU :)

Enjoy this chapter now!

'What happened?' Daryl gasped when he was able to have a look at her face.

Her lip was burst, she had a black eye and several bruises all over her face and her arms. A nasty looking cut over her eyebrow was still bleeding and had a left a lot of dried blood on her face. Black trails of makeup stained her cheeks as well. The black shirt she wore under the angel wing vest was ripped just like the black tights.

'I fell.' she said, her voice sounded broken.

'Sure.' Daryl nodded. Apparently, she didn't want to tell him the truth and he could understand that so he didn't bug her for an answer.

Instead, he opened her the door to the farm house and led her into the kitchen where he searched for an ice bag. He handed it to her and went into the bathroom to search for some band-aid and ointment. When he returned Beth had sat down on one of the chairs. She glanced around the kitchen. Everything here looked different, the kitchen was as clean as possible, the light olive walls matched the beige kitchen counter perfectly just like the white table with the white chairs. There were pictures on the walls and other decoration all over the room. Most of the pictures showed Daryl with his sister Maggie.

This kitchen was the complete opposite to the kitchen at Beth's place. It was messy and stuff was standing around, there barely was any food in the house since the fridge had to be full of beer and there was not any decoration. Nothing fitted together, the whole furniture was cobbled together from wherever a sale was going on. It wasn't like Beth cared for it anyway since she barely was at home.

'I can't reach my dad. Maybe we better drag you to a doctor.' Daryl muttered as he put away the phone.

Beth shook her head no and kept the ice bag to her face. Daryl took a cloth and wet it with warm water. He stepped in front of Beth and went down on one knee. He started to softly scrub off the dried out blood from her eyebrow to the corner of her eye over her cheek. Eventually, his eyes got stuck on hers, she felt his glance but she avoided it and looked down on her lap.

'I think, there's nothin' wrong with ma eyes.' she snapped after a moment.

Daryl realized he had literally stared into her eyes longer than he had planned to. He blushed and went on cleaning up her face. When he was done he applied ointment on the cut over her eyebrow and on her broken lip. He got the band aid ready and applied it to the cut as well.

'Why did you come here instead of going to your friends?' Daryl asked when he was done on her face. He glanced at her arms and saw the bruises on them, they clearly were shaped like someone had a too firm grip on her but he couldn't quite figure out who. Probably Jack, maybe he found out about their meeting.

''Cause I ain't show myself ta ma friends like this. Can I sleepover here? I don't wanna go home so.'

Surprised Daryl nodded slowly and handed her the telephone. With a quizzical expression on her face she looked at him.

'You should at least call your parents so they know where you are.' Daryl shrugged his shoulders. 'Are you hungry?'

'I ain't doin' shit.' Beth snapped and put the phone on the table.

'What do ya have fer food?'

'Anything you want. I could even cook something.'

Beth raised her eyebrow and stood up to have a look in the fridge herself.

'So ya can cook? I want a steak so.'

'Alright.' Daryl shrugged and got one of the steaks out of the fridge and also a pan.

'I've been kiddin'. I just take a sandwich.' Beth rolled her eyes.

While Beth ate her sandwich in the kitchen, Daryl went upstairs to get the guest room ready for her. Before he sneaked into Maggie's room to get Beth something to wear for the night. He put a towel in the guest room and the top and shorts he got from Maggie as well before he returned to the kitchen.

'I got you the guest room ready. You can take a shower if you want, too. Just take Maggie's stuff. I got you some of her clothes for sleeping as well.'

Beth didn't want to appear thankful but in fact she was. She didn't think he would let her stay after all she did. The bet was out of her mind this night, she was just grateful he didn't kick her out.

Beth washed off the rest of her makeup after she had a long hot shower. Another thing she wasn't used to. Her father only allowed quick warm showers to save money for beer.

She put on the black tank top and the baby blue shorts before she brushed her long blonde curls. For the first time since her father's attack she took a look in the mirror. Her face didn't look too bad anymore if she ignored the black eye. Anyway, she was used to looking like this. Her back was burning as the hot water left her skin. Beth didn't care about having some new scars. Two years, she repeated in her mind, two years then I am gone.

Leaving her hair wet she left the bathroom and wanted to disappear into the guest room to get a few hours of sleep but instead she bumped into Daryl who dropped the new ice bag he got for Beth. He picked it up and held it out to her.

'Sorry.' Beth muttered unintelligible and took it.

'I think you shouldn't go to school tomorrow.' Daryl said.

'I ain't goin' 'till I look acceptable 'gain. Bitches ain't lemme keep ma sunglasses on.' Beth sighed.

Daryl noticed she didn't wear any makeup right now and he noticed how beautiful she was still, her big blue eyes, her creamy skin and the delicate features.

Before she could snap at him again he averted his gaze and wished her a good night. When he just wanted to walk into his own room Beth grabbed his wrist. Surprised he stood still and glanced at her.

'Y'ain't goin' ta school either, are ya?'

'I can't just skip a day because of nothing, Beth.'

'What if yer pa comes home?' She bored her big blue eyes into his own and Daryl slowly understood.

'Wait, you didn't plan on going back home tomorrow?'

'Actually not.' Beth muttered, not averting her eyes still.

'I'd like you to tell me why. You refuse calling your parents, you don't want to tell me what happened to you and you don't want to go home. Why?' Daryl asked his voice being a lot more firmly than he had planned on.

'Not yer business.' Beth averted her face and turned around on her heel to slam the guest room door shut.

After Daryl got ready for school he went downstairs to prepare breakfast and tea. Beth was a closed book to him. The one moment she was silent and talking to him normally, the other moment she was snapping and glaring. He had no clue why she was here and how long she wanted to stay and what happened to her and not knowing all these things made him go crazy. He knew his parents wouldn't be back until the next weekend but Maggie would come back and she surely wouldn't welcome finding Beth Dixon in the house in her clothes even.

Daryl brought her some breakfast into the guest room. He placed the tablet on the nightstand and woke her up by shaking her shoulder a little bit.

Beth moaned and shifted around in the bed before she slowly opened her eyes. Still drowsy she glanced up to Daryl.

'Good morning. I made you breakfast. If you still want to get yourself ready before we have to least you should hurry a little, though.'

'Ready fer what?' Beth muttered drowsily.

'For going home. I will drive you.'

'I ain't goin' home.'

'I won't leave you alone here. Maggie could come home any time as well.'

'I give a fuck! I will not go home!' Beth snapped and glared at Daryl. Without all the black makeup she appeared a lot less scary than usual, he noticed.

'You will or you tell me why you don't want to go home.' Daryl tried to appear strict but his attempt was fruitless.

'Fuck ya, Greene. I ain't tell ya shit.'

'I can force you into the car, believe me.'

Beth let out a sarcastic laughter and glanced at him from head to toe. 'I highly doubt that.'

Daryl rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her roughly out of bed. Beth struggled to stay on her feet when he pulled her across the guest room. On the hallway she freed her wrist and wanted to flee to the bathroom so she could lock herself into it but Daryl quickly pushed her against the wall and pinned her wrists to it.

'Let go of me.' Beth growled giving him another death glare.

'Not until you gave me answers.'

Beth tried to pull one of his legs away with her foot so he would have to let go of her but instead she just accomplished him to make a step closer to her. Their bodies were only inches apart, as well as their faces. Beth glared at him, he didn't hurt her, he brought up a tension between them she didn't want to be there.

Daryl got uncomfortable finding her body so close to his own, there was a strange feeling flushing through his body. He liked Beth back then, she was his first crush ever but things changed, or didn't they? Seeing Beth without that loads of makeup and without all those clothes she started wearing brought something back he couldn't quite get a grip on.

He glanced all over Beth and noticed her doing the same. Instinctively, he brought his face some closer to Beth's and he could feel her breath on his skin what sent a shiver all through his body. He had never kissed someone before but right now it seemed right to do and so he shyly brought his lips on top of hers to kiss her softly. It felt strange but not too bad, at least in Daryl's opinion.

Beth didn't expect this, she felt uncomfortable with the whole situation and then Daryl even kissed her. Beth has been kissing with Jack already but this now was completely different. Totally out of her mind she replied the kiss at first before her brain came back to life. This was completely wrong and had to stop and so she pulled away but still remained close to him. With a rather mean smirk she looked him straight in the eyes. 'Oh Daryl, if there only would be someone wantin' ta be kissed by ya.' she whispered before she brought her knee up straight into his crotch.

Daryl hissed in pain and collapsed on the ground while Beth took that chance to grab her phone from the guest room and run straight into the bathroom where she locked herself in.

She dialed Merle's number quickly and tried to hold back the tears that were coming up in her eyes.

'Merle, can ya pick me up?' Beth muttered her voice slightly strangled by her tears. Panic was creeping up inside of her, she didn't want to get any attached to Daryl, she hadn't wanted that kiss and by now she regretted coming here at all. Beth couldn't quite explain the panic inside of her, she just was getting into something she didn't want to get into. The bet came back to her mind and for the first time she asked herself if she was really able to do something like that to someone like Daryl. He was so kind and took care of her even if she treated him like crap.

'Where're ya at?' Merle asked.

'At the Greene farm. Please, hurry up. I need ta get away from here.' Beth said before her voice broke. She hung up without waiting for an answer and dropped the phone to the ground, followed right by herself. She leaned her back on the bathtub and pulled her knees to her body to hide her face in her arms.

Daryl knocked the door several times but Beth didn't answer him, she just wanted Merle to arrive finally so she could leave this place.

When she heard the familiar sound of her brother's motorcycle she quickly left the bathroom, put on her own clothes again and wordless rushed past Daryl in the kitchen.

Outside Merle waited on his bike. Beth ran towards him, her tears had dried but she still just wanted to get away from that place. She said behind Merle and wrapped her arms around him.

'What's goin' on with ya?' Merle asked.

'Just shut up and drive.' Beth sighed.

Some time later Merle and Beth sat in Merle's tiny shabby apartment. He had opened himself a beer and looked at his sister.

'Asshole had a fit again?' Merle asked pointing his chin at her face.

'Told him ta fuck himself. When I returned home he was already waitin'.' Beth shrugged her shoulders like it was just casualty.

'Why ya've been at the Greene farm so?'

'Couldn't reach ya and Greene is too much of a pussy ta sell me out.'

Merle grinned and took a sip from his beer. 'Why'd ya cry so?'

'Not yer business, Merle.' Beth glared and averted her gaze from him.

'Come on, Bethy. Tell good ole Merle.'

'He kissed me and I didn't want it. That's all. Shut up now.'

'Baby Bethy got kissed, aw.' Merle grinned still.

They remained silent a while but then Merle's cell rang and he picked up the call. Beth listened closely but she didn't get a catch on what he was talking about. It was no long call but it sounded pretty mysterious.

'Gettin' into drug business 'gain?' Beth asked, glancing at her brother with her eyebrow raised.

'Nah. Somethin' better. Get yaself ready. We're leavin'. Gonna visit someone.' Merle got up and walked to the door waiting for Beth who threw on her angel wing vest and her boots before she came after him.

They arrived in a shabby corner of the town where most of Merle's businesses took part and went straight to a bar. Beth gave Merle a questioning look. She wasn't even 17 and if anyone would want to see her ID she would be in trouble.

'Calm down, Bethy. Jus' glare at everyone.'

They went inside and sat at the bar, Merle ordered two Jack and Coke while he searched the small, smelly room. 'Ya drink that with me.' Merle announced and handed one of the shots to Beth.

'It's not like I never had that.' Beth sighed and rolled her eyes. 'What're we doin' here?'

'Wait an' see.' Merle nodded at one man who entered the bar and he moved over to them.

'Hey, Shane. Do ya have 'em?'

The man Merle called Shane nodded and discretely handed him an envelope. Beth was irritated, did she just become witness of some illegal activity?

'Ya get yer money as soon as I got ma money from Phillip.' Merle said in a muffled voice.

'Take your time, Dixon.' the man said and retreated to leave the bar again.

Merle ordered another shot for him and Beth and put the envelope in the inner pocket of his jacket.

When Merle and Beth left the bar she still had no clue what was in the envelope but arriving at his bike he stopped and pulled it out again.

'This, Bethy, is the key ta our new life in Atlanta.' Merle handed his sister the envelope and she reached inside of it and took out an ID card. She recognized her picture on it and her gaze went on to the date of birth.

'Yer officially 21 now.' Merle said and sat on his bike. 'Ya get home, I distract the asshole and ya get only the necessary stuff and come out 'gain. Then we leave off ta Atlanta. Don't worry 'bout Shane. He's just a cop makin' a lil' extra money.'

'Ya think anyone would believe I'm 21? Ya make illegal deals with a cop? And who's Phillip?'

'If ya keep paintin' yer face. Shane's ta trust and Phillip is owing me money for somethin' I did for him couple o' weeks ago. Now hop on.'

It's been three weeks since Daryl had seen Beth the last time. She didn't appear in school anymore, neither anywhere online. People in school had a rumor going around about the Dixon siblings fled out of town. Daryl didn't know if he could trust these rumors but he didn't even see Beth with her usual group anymore.

He knew, if she was really out of town he would probably never see her again and maybe it was better this way.

Here we go. Beth left all behind her, not in the most legal way but well, that's how we know Merle, right?

I am sorry for any strange wordings or grammar issues. I am not English.

If anyone wants to beta my chapters, I'd appreciate that very much.

Thanks to my most favorite bitch 'BethylLove' for her support and the constant bantering which inspires me a lot.

I've got a twitter if anyone wants to follow. It's OMFGDarylDixon :-)

Leave me reviews please, pretty please :-)

Hugs to you all!