Warning abuse, pain and swearing. Hope you all enjoy this one much love xxx

Life for Beth became chaotic after the Christmas holidays, she had to study harder for her finals that were coming up, her work load on the farm had increased when people had found out about her father sobering up, her mother being the catalyst for this sudden change of events she had packed her suitcases and threatened to leave on new years eve if something didn't change, her father went around the house then and emptied all of the remaining alcohol down the drain, Beth's cheer leading events and practice took up the last remaining hours of her day.

It was a Saturday afternoon when her father came home from the surgery and stopped her in her tracks.

"Beth" he called her over as she was making her way back from the horses "Have you seen very much of that boy?" he asked her.

"Not really Daddy" she shrugged, she had missed Daryl but he hadn't really been to school since his accident and she was to frightened to go to his house on her own. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I heard his brother is in the army now and I just wondered. Why don't you get on that phone of yours and contact him I'm sure he could do with a friend" he suggested, Beth frowned at him.

"Has his father?" Beth couldn't finish the question.

"I am not sure Beth I just got told that Will Dixon was up to his old tricks again, especially now Merle is it?" Beth nodded "now he isn't there."

"Thank you Daddy" she walked away pulling her phone from her pocket and dialled his number.

"Hello?"

"Daryl, it's Beth."

"Know that don't I" he was blunt with her almost angry.

"Are you? Are you ok?" she asked carefully.

"What do you care?" he asked her.

"Of course I care." she said.

"Just leave it Beth, just leave me alone, it's all different, all changed" he snapped at her, then the line was dead. She sat down on a log under a tall tree on the front garden staring at her phone, he is never like that well not with her, she absently played with her bracelet on her wrist and thought, she only had one option, fishing her truck keys from her pocket Beth started the truck up and went to see him.

She pulled up outside his house, his newly intact bike sat shining in the late evening sunshine, that was beginning to heat the days now the winter was dying. She flew open the door and walked up to the porch, the inside door flew open and an extremely unhappy looking Will Dixon stood there staring at her.

"What the fuck do you want?" he shouted, Beth took a deep breath to steady her nerves and replied.

"I would like to see Daryl, please"

"You fucking him?" Beth recoiled at the bluntness of the question.

"No" she replied "Is he here?" Will Dixon eyed the young girl then nodded and pushed the door open further, her stomach told her not to go in, not till she saw Daryl but her up bringing made her follow him through it.

"Well your a pretty little thing arn't ya?" he slurred at her, she stood for a minute looking at the old man, stood there in his dirty, tacky underwear, his shirt unbuttoned down to his pot belly, his balding hair stuck up in clumps around his head.

"Thank you, is he in his room?" she indicated towards the hallway.

"Should think the snivelling little girl is in there, wants to learn to watch his manners" he growled, Beth started to walk away from the old man, but she felt him move faster than she had given him credit for and he was behind her, breath stale alcohol breath down her back. "Why don't you leave him here and come to me, you need a real man to satisfy that cute little arse."

"Would you remove your hand please Mr Dixon" she said calmly, her voice not faltering.

"And if I don't?" she turned on her heel to stare the man in the eye, her heart was racing in her throat, her eyes stinging from the tears she believed would fall and give her away at any minute.

"I am not one of your children Mr Dixon, I will not tolerate you brutish behaviour, I will ring up the sheriff's office and give my friend some peace and quiet for a couple of days while you are in the drunk tank." she placed her hands on her hips staring at the man, after a few seconds he walked back to his shabby arm chair mumbling about up starts and prudish little girls, telling himself that what would make Beth behaviour would be the back of his against her face. Beth listened for a few moments more then pushed Daryl's door open, she was confused she could see him anywhere, but his father had told her he was in there? She looked around then noticed a light coming from the cupboard door to her right, Beth went to the door and started to undo the locks on the door with a set of keys that had been left on the dresser, when she pulled the door open Daryl was led on the floor his eyes closed, his back facing her, he was shirtless and the welts on his back were bloody and deep.

He seemed to sense her stood there and jumped back into the wardrobe, but she crouched down putting her hand out to him, he tried to hide his back from her by pulling a shirt from the hanger but it got caught as he winced with pain.

"It's ok Daryl" she stood up and took the shirt from the hanger then handing it to him she began pulling others down from the rail shoving them in the holdall he had had at the hospital, she opened draws and shoved clean underwear and things into it as well then looked around the room, after collecting numerous other items Beth made him stand up, Daryl was silent, just watching every move she made, as she went to pull him out of the bedroom he shook his head.

"It will be fine Daryl, just follow me don't look at him" she marched into the living room, Will looked up to them both and went to stand.

"Please Mr Dixon, just sit down, I do not want to have to ring them because I don't think you would like to be taken down there washed up and sobered up and have to face the charges for what you have done" she raised an eyebrow pointedly at him as she went towards the front door Beth threw over her shoulder as a last stab "and for God's sake put some pants on" she pulled Daryl into the truck and went around to get into hers then she looked at his bike, she had ridden bikes around the farm it was sometimes quicker and easier than tacking up, she went into Daryl's pocket ignoring his catatonic state pulled his keys out, then jumped on the bike she rode it to the end of the drive it was bigger than she was used to but they all worked the same way, then she phoned home, Maggie was back for the weekend and promised she would get Glenn to come and get the bike with her asap, she left the keys hidden under a stone she had found then went running back to the truck not wanting to leave him for to long, she jumped in and drove home.

As she pulled up outside the house, her father came out and stood with his hands on his hips, his mother following suit, she jumped out and walked around to help Daryl out of the truck, but he wouldn't budge, her father came over carefully and tried to coax him out but Daryl refused to move, eventually Beth's mother walked over shooing them both out of the way she smiled up at Daryl, then placed her hand to the side of his face to gain his attention, his eyes were red raw when he finally looked up at her.

"Come with me child" she said softly "Come on, lets make it go away" Beth heard a sob come from the truck and her heart broke.

"Never go away" he said to her.

"Oh child you are here now, I will take care of you" she pulled him softly with her hand and he gave in climbing from the cab, Beth's mother wrapped her arms around Daryl and comforted him as best she could so as not to hurt his back further.

"We should ring the sheriffs office" her father said.

"NO!" Daryl shouted "No, please" Beth mother stroked his head as he replaced it on her shoulder, "we will do nothing that you are uncomfortable with Daryl" she shot a look at her husband who nodded in agreement, then she led the young man into her kitchen.

Hershel took the first aid kit from the top of the cupboard and began to look at Daryl's wounds, although he was a veterinarian it wasn't much different seeing to a human just a lot less hair. Beth stood in the doorway watching, small tears streaking down her face, she wanted to call the police she wanted to call the army, she wanted Will Dixon dead but all she could do was help clean him up again. Her father gave Daryl two tablets to take, then Beth led Daryl upstairs to Shaun's room, she placed the holdall beside the bed and pulled the covers back for him to climb into, he suddenly took her hand in his pulling her back to him, Beth pulled the covers over him and sat down on the bed she pulled him in to her arms and sat with him.

"You rang" he whispered.

"Yes I did then I came straight round, how long had you been in there" she asked.

"Don't know, couple of days" he whispered and shuddered, she didn't want to question him any more so she pulled him into her as close as she could get him and began rocking him, singing quietly as she stared at the wall in front of her.