A/N Thank you so much for the follows, faves and comments. And thank you for joining me on this journey with Daryl and Beth. We pick up right about where we left off.

Daddy hadn't taken their phones away and all day Sunday they'd been blowing those phones right up.

They chatted about the fun they'd had and how they couldn't wait to do it all again, just as soon as they were off this stupid restriction.

That's when he texted, "You sure are a good liar Beth. You don't lie to me like you lie to your old man, do you?"

"Of course not Daryl, I don't have any reason to lie to you, and you're the only reason I have to lie to Daddy :)" That made him smile.

"I ain't ever seen anyone can make up a story like you, you lie your little ass off and look so sweet and innocent while you're doing it."

"You should see Maggie, I could never be as good as she is, where do you think I learned?" And that made him smile more because, yeah Maggie, she was a wild one.

They'd made plans to meet before school, early Monday morning in the woods right next to campus, at "their" tree.

He was waiting when she got there and he pulled her to him. They were kissing like it had been months since they'd seen each other. Well it felt like it had. "I missed ya baby, a lot."

She smiled, "I missed you too, this is awful. Of course I know it could have been a lot worse, so I'm trying not to complain too much about two weeks." She smiled that sassy smile at him and he laughed.

"Yeah I'ma tell Merle yer gonna give him lyin' lessons, tell him maybe if he was good as you the cops would believe him more."

"Oh stop it Daryl, you'd better never say anything to anyone!"

"I won't if ya gimme one more kiss." And of course she was happy to give him what he asked for.

They didn't want to take chances on being late to class and getting in any more trouble than they already were. They wanted to be spending their time together so they made the walk over to school, hands interlaced, and had a hurried kiss goodbye, "See ya for lunch."

Amy asked her what they'd gotten in trouble for this time. Even though Amy was her best friend she had no intention of telling her everything she and Daryl had been up to. She wasn't taking any chances of it getting around school that she'd come home from a date missing an important article of clothing.

"You know how time can get away from you Amy, well Daryl and I were having our own private Labor Day cook out and we got home a little late. Thank goodness we only got grounded for two weeks."

Again at lunch they met by their tree, and they ate their sandwiches just as fast as they could so they could have time to just hold each other, walk, talk and be what they were meant to always be, together.

As hard as it all was, time passed more quickly than they'd thought it would, the fact they were both so busy working after school every day probably helped.

Finally it was over. They were back to their routine.

He was at the farm for dinner two or three nights a week, they went out on Saturday nights, and he came for Sunday dinners. Just like it was supposed to be.

It was Wednesday night at dinner that Daddy surprised them. "I called Merle this morning and invited him and his lady friend to join us for Sunday dinner. I thought it would be real nice if we all got to know her, after all I assume they'll be getting married sometime in the near future."

Daryl almost spit out that big drink of milk he'd just taken. He managed to recover and get out, "Yeah, uh, that was real nice a ya."

Shit.

When they got to the orchard, they kissed and then he said, "Damn Baby this is fucked up."

"Oh now Daryl how bad could it be? Merle's been here for dinner before and it was just fine."

"Yeah well what about this Selma chick? You met her, for crissake Beth yer folks are gonna take one look at her and pass right out!"

She couldn't help herself, she started to laugh. "Oh Daryl it's not that bad. Lots of people dye their hair pink these days."

"Ya ain't funny Beth. And fuck baby what about the way she dresses? Shit, if she shows up here with them big boobs poppin' outta her shirt yer Mama's gonna need oxygen."

"Oh Daryl I'm sure it will be just fine. Merle knows Mama and Daddy I'm sure he'll talk to her about all that."

"Yeah right girl like Merle don't love stirrin' shit up!"

She put her arms around him then, holding him tight, "Daryl you worry too much. I just know everything will be fine. And besides Daddy and Mama aren't going to hold anything she does against you. They love you the same as any of their other kids."

Her words surprised him. He looked at her not knowing what to say. They loved him? Like their other kids? That was impossible to believe. But if he thought about it they'd always been real good to him, feeding him, looking out for him, even when they were a pain in his ass he knew they always had his best interests at heart. They were what parents were supposed to be, they were a safe place, they were dependable, they gave a shit. And if he admitted it, he loved them too. They were the only real parents he'd ever had.

Old thoughts, old feelings long buried, they started coming up. He didn't like it, it was uncomfortable, it was painful. He sought comfort from the one person he knew could bring him that relief.

They started kissing and he wanted to just forget all those shitty feelings. He just wanted to get to that other feeling he had with her, he needed that physical and mental release. All this emotional bullshit was a lot for Daryl Dixon to deal with.

He wanted to get there with her, he needed her. And maybe he was a little more forceful than usual, because maybe he was a little more needy than he could ever remember being. And maybe she got that, and maybe she wanted to be what he needed and maybe she wanted to satisfy those needs he had.

And right there in the peach orchard with her parents just yards away, they gave each other that pleasure, that release.

Afterward he held her tight, "Sorry baby, I shouldn't be like that with ya, don't mean ta ever be too rough with ya."

She tried to sooth him, he was having some kind of hard time and she just wasn't quite sure what it was all about. But whatever it was, she wasn't mad. "It was good Daryl, we were good. You weren't rough you were just a little more forceful than usual. But I didn't say 'no' or 'stop', did I? You needed me and I wanted you to need me. I love you, don't be sorry."

"Aw baby ya treat me so much better than I deserve."

"That's where you're wrong Daryl Dixon you deserve the best things life has to give."

Those dark thoughts wouldn't leave him, and thinking about things later that night he knew why it hurt, he knew why it had gotten to him and he didn't like thinking about that. He didn't like thinking about how his own Mama didn't take care of him, didn't take care of Merle, and she died because she didn't take care of herself.

And his own so called father, that fucking dumbass. He couldn't think about him without filling with rage.

He'd always be grateful to her Mama and Daddy for letting him escape to their house, but their love for him, their caring, also made him wonder how it could be that strangers would care for him more than his own folks.

He felt grateful to have Merle too. Merle could be a giant pain in his ass but he knew Merle cared about him, would do anything for him. And it was Merle who'd gotten him the fuck out of there as soon as he could.

It was all so confusing. And it was way too much for his 17 year old mind and heart to have to deal with, so Daryl did what Daryl always did, he stuffed those feelings way down somewhere deep inside, and he did his very best to pretend they weren't there.

And he turned his thoughts to her. The best thing that had ever happened to him was Beth Greene. He'd soon be 18 and Beth had been the most important person in his life since he was five. Who knows what would've become of him if it hadn't been for her? She was his light and always somewhere deep in his heart he knew he didn't deserve her. He'd been getting by with it all these years, but for all their plans, and no matter how much he loved her, and no matter how much she said she loved him, he always felt it. Someday Beth Greene would realize she deserved so much better than Daryl Dixon.

Merle must have had a little talk with Selma because her hair was more of a blond color than pink, her boobs were fully covered, and happily she barely said a word. But then when you got Hershel Greene and Merle Dixon in the same room, no one else needed to worry about keeping up their end of the conversation anyway.

Daryl had to admire his brother's skills with bullshit and playing the role. And he realized that Merle did this for him, to support him in one of the few ways Merle could. His brother knew how much he loved Beth, and these were Beth's people.

But Daryl also knew Merle took a certain kind of pleasure in pulling one over on people.

Then again, Merle did seem to genuinely like the farmer, even though the two of them couldn't be more different men. Shit, who knew what Merle was thinking? Probably not even Merle.

xxxx

She couldn't quite believe it when he asked her if she wanted to go to the Harvest Ball, he'd been so crabby about it just last year that she wasn't even going to mention it to him this year. And YES she wanted to go!

Maggie took her shopping in Atlanta on the Saturday morning before the dance. They had so much fun, both of them trying on nearly every inappropriate party dress in every store in that huge mall. Beth would put on a dress with a plunging neckline and a slit up the leg, and Maggie would react to the dress as if she were Mama or Daddy, they laughed until they cried.

They finally chose a dress they thought was the sexiest and the hottest that Mama and Daddy would actually let her walk out of the house wearing. That meant it wasn't sexy or hot, but it sure was pretty.

Maggie hugged her, "Daryl's eyes are going to pop right out of his head when he sees you Bethie. You're already the prettiest girl in school, now you're going to be the sexiest one too. You and Daryl are the perfect couple, and definitely the best looking couple that high school has ever seen."

"Oh Maggie, come on." She was blushing but she agreed about Daryl, he was the most handsome boy in town, well as far as she was concerned, in the whole world. She knew about the girls who liked him, oh maybe they didn't want him as a boyfriend, but they definitely wanted to mess around with him.

That knowledge always scared her a little. Even though she knew Daryl loved her, she worried maybe he'd get tired of waiting, maybe he'd just take one of them up on it. But in her heart she knew him, that wasn't Daryl, Daryl was true, it was the person he was.

Rick's Mom and Dad were going out of town the weekend of the ball. Some sort of business convention or something. None of those teenagers could care less about where, just as long as the adults were gone.

Rick and Lori, Daryl and Beth, Amy and Caesar, those kids had a plan in place.

Beth told Mama and Daddy she was staying at Amy's house after the Ball, and Amy told her folks she was staying with Beth, and Lori told her Mom she was staying with Amy too. Daryl didn't tell Merle anything. He knew Merle would just figure he got lucky.

He picked her up promptly at 6:30 and of course Mama couldn't take enough pictures. He could see why her Mama and Daddy would want lots of pictures of her, she looked so fucking pretty. She was in a long yellow dress with a tight waist and a full skirt that was sort of flowing. It kind of seemed like it was low cut but it wasn't really. That front was up high enough nothing showed. He was glad her folks wouldn't let her wear anything that showed much of anything, because even though he'd never told her, he didn't want her showing it off either.

She was all smiles when she saw him, he looked so good. She hadn't expected him to rent a tux and he didn't. He'd agreed to that for the prom and that was good enough for her. And besides, she was sure he couldn't look any more handsome than he did right now. He had on a black long sleeve shirt, a black tie, black Dickies and black boots. He looked hot and he didn't even know it, and she was proud to be with him.

She had her little overnight case with her, and Mama and Daddy kissed her goodbye and told her to have fun and they'd see her in the morning for church.

The last thing Daddy said was, "Now son take good care of my baby girl and have fun." Daryl almost felt guilty. Almost.

"Yessir."

They got to the dance and the mood was definitely festive. It seemed everyone had after party plans, none of which included going right home and going to bed, alone. She decided there had probably been more lies told to parents this week than in the town's history.

One thing everyone noticed was Bonnie Jones' tummy. It had a definite fuller, rounded look to it. And Sam definitely had that deer in the headlights look. UhOh. Daryl looked at Beth, "Shit girl, now there's a good damn reason ta be careful. We ain't ready for that." She just nodded, it was a big dose of reality.

The music was good, and the snacks were good, and she even got Daryl to dance a few times.

But the evening was not without a bit of drama. Shane sneaked out to smoke something, probably not a Marlboro, and Andrea immediately started trolling. What Beth didn't understand was why she came right over to Daryl, and right in front of her she asked him, "Hey Daryl you look real nice tonight, why don't you dance with me?" Beth was about to yell at the other girl but she didn't need to. Daryl looked at her hard eyed and said, "I don't dance with no girl but my girl. An my girl don't dance with no one but me. Ya best go on now."

Beth was so proud of him and she felt so special, Daryl loved her and he wasn't afraid to let everyone know. Sigh…

The three couples slipped out of the party about an hour early and met at Rick's. They were ready for big fun. Daryl had a six pack of beer for himself and a four pack of wine coolers for Beth. Caesar had a six pack of beer and a bottle of Fireball for him and Amy, and Rick had a six pack for himself and a bottle of Buttershots Schnapps for Lori. They were all set for a big night.

They hung out in the front room and Rick got the music going. They were drinking and dancing and talking and laughing. They were full of alcohol and hormones, and it wasn't long before the situation got what you might call romantic. Yeah, let's call it that, romantic.

Rick and Lori slipped off to his room, Caesar and Amy seemed to be getting mighty worked up on the sofa, and Daryl lead Beth into the guest room.

Just about the time it was getting to where they didn't know if they could keep their promise to wait for graduation, there was a loud banging on the front door. Oh fuck.

It was none other than Beth's Daddy and Merle. Beth's Daddy was so angry it seemed his face was on fire.

Merle was looking pissed too, but Daryl figured he was putting on a show for Hershel.

As it turned out Amy's Dad had taken sick in the night, scared the wits out of her Mom. She'd called Annette to have her send Amy to meet her at the hospital. Mama was confused at first, she told her Beth had said she and Lori were staying with Amy. Aha. You can figure out how it went from there.

Daddy called Merle to meet him, then got himself dressed and he was out the door, gunning for bear. Merle just did his brotherly duty, got dressed and headed over to Grimes' house. Not for one minute did he understand what the big fucking deal was, sounded like just some regular kid bullshit to him, but he'd go along and see. Stand back and watch.

Oh it was ugly.

Beth was crying and begging, "Daddy I promise we didn't do anything bad. We just had a little bit to drink and then we kissed but that was all Daddy honest. It was just going to be like a slumber party, you know staying up all night talking and laughing, watching scary movies and making popcorn. And don't be mad at Daryl, he didn't even want to come. I told him if he didn't I wouldn't speak to him for a week. I forced him Daddy. I'm sorry, please believe me, we were good I promise. You know Daryl would never take advantage of a situation and you know how committed we are to waiting." And holy cow the waterworks really got to flowing, hell even Lori and Amy started to cry.

Merle was enjoying every fucking minute of watching Blondie shovel shit at her old man. The girl ought to move to New York, be one of those Broadway actresses.

Daddy was so mad he couldn't even think clear enough to decide what kind of punishment this mess called for, "Merle, you, Selma and Daryl will be invited to take Thanksgiving Dinner with our family, because that will be the next time these two are allowed to see each other, outside of school. Daryl I've told you in the past, you have to learn to say 'no' to Beth. She doesn't use good judgment and I've told you it's your responsibility to be the one who keeps a clear head, but you continue to let her manipulate you. I'm sorry son, we'll miss having you at the farm."

Beth tried, "But Daddy it's not even Halloween yet, Thanksgiving's more than a month away. I'll die before then! Please Daddy PLEASE! I promise I'll be good."

"Get in the car young lady, and you too Amy I'll be giving you a ride home. Fortunately it was a false alarm and your Dad is fine. Lori your Mother has been called she'll be by soon, and Caesar your Dad will be here any minute. Rick, I'll be talking to your father when he gets back tomorrow. I'm just so terribly disappointed in all of you."

Merle still hadn't said a word, he was fascinated by all of this carrying on and bullshit going down, but he was one to put on a good show himself, so he looked real tough at Daryl and he said in his orneriest voice, "Ya get in the car boy, you an me are gonna be havin' us a serious talk 'bout this."

That was music to Daddy's ears. He was happy to know he and Merle were on the same page.

They got in Merle's truck and Daryl was looking seriously sullen, and Merle was pissed off, "Shit kid ya ruined my fun, I's just about ta get my nut with Selma when the fuckin' phone started ringin' off the goddamn hook. I oughta kick yer ass."

Daryl just flipped him off and muttered, "Fuck you Merle."

The next evening when Daryl got home from work, right there on his pillow was the biggest box of condoms he'd ever seen. He slipped two in his wallet, and put the rest in his underwear drawer.

A/N It seems Daryl came face to face with some long buried demons out in the orchard, we'll see how that plays out later. And in case it's confusing, no, Daryl and Beth did not have sex in the orchard, they just did what they do for each other. In the meantime, our gang is raging with hormones and unable to stay out of trouble. Poor Daddy is beside himself and Merle, well you know what I always tell you, Merle is Merle. Thanks so much for reading along and I hope you enjoyed. I'd appreciate your comments / reviews xo

To see photos of our couple, and to get update notices on my stories, please check out my tumblr at bethylmethbrick, and I very much appreciate FF follows. If you enjoy reading the "young version" of Daryl and Beth, consider reading my fic The Biker and the Bobby Soxer. Thanks again and I'll see y'all here next Thursday! x