A/N What happens when a monster chapter gets split in two? You all get an update even before the last chapter has hardly had time to settle in! I have big plans and I want to get this story to it's HEA… or something close anyway. All I have to say is do not mess with Daryl's girl.

They spend the next couple of weeks working and planning for the Fourth of July party. Beth stays most nights (and days) at Daryl's cabin, but on the rare occasion that she does go back to her apartment, Daryl goes too. There's no way he'd let her go alone. But being there isn't the same. There was a time when she was so proud of her little place. It's not the home she made for herself anymore. The pride she used to take in the brightly decorated rooms is gone. She doesn't feel safe there and the only place she really feels at peace is the cabin. And that has a lot to do with Daryl. He takes her on the bike and they leave everything behind and it feels like flying. He wears his wings because she loves them and knows he loves them too. He's shown her a couple of places on that map, places that he found that he holds close are now her places too. Her guitar sits in the corner of the living room and she plucks out little tunes, sings for him and he tells her more than once he doesn't think life could get any better than this.

The weekend of the fourth rolls around and Beth's been up since 6 am baking. It was what her momma always did and now she's gonna do it. She made breakfast for Daryl too and he comes in with his bed head and sleepy eyes and kisses the flour on her nose and the chocolate streaked across her cheek. She feels his gaze on her body that is currently clad in one of his t-shirts. It's her favorite thing, waking up in the morning and grabbing the shirt he wore the day before and wrapping herself up in the smell of him. But even better is having Daryl himself wrapped around her.

"Whatcha makin'?" He's moved behind her, chin resting on her shoulder, strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"Brownies with chocolate chips, blueberry muffins, and lemon bars." She holds a small yellow square dusted with powdered sugar up to him and he eats it in one bite. "These were my momma's specialty. I don't know if I got them right, but I am hoping my dad likes them," she says.

"Never had a lemon bar, but this tastes pretty damn good ta me. Think yer daddy's gonna like 'em jus' fine Beth." His kisses on her neck and distracting. But she doesn't mind.

"I made you eggs too. And coffee." She gestures to the pan on the stove and smiles at him as he moves over to the stove and lifts the lid.

"Um, I appreciate ya cooking for me baby, but what the hell is all this green sh-, I mean stuff?" Glaring at the eggs in the pan, Daryl looks serious offended. Beth bites her tongue so she doesn't laugh and just sighs.

"Spinach. It's good for you." Beth says as she tucks her muffins into a cloth lined basket. She glances over at Daryl as he tentatively samples the eggs. She'd added parmesan cheese and pepper hoping to appease his taste buds. Apparently, it worked because he's spooning the fluffy green eggs into his mouth.

"Damn these are good!" Grabbing a plate he looks over at her. "Gonna have some?" The spoon hovering above the pan as he waits for her answer.

"I already ate, go ahead." And he does, dumping the entire pan on his plate. Beth giggles happy that he likes them.

"What?" he says innocently, "ya wore me out last night girl!" He growls knowing what that does to her, a small smirk quirking up the corners of his mouth. The reminder of last night sends a sweet ache right to her core. They'd both had the day off and after shopping for the party they'd made lunch and had gone for a ride. They'd stopped at a nature center but Daryl had veered off the intended trails and taken her to a waterfall he'd found. It wasn't as secluded as the other places he'd shown her so far. So they'd behaved themselves and kept all articles of clothing on. But he'd pushed her back into the trees and kissed her until she couldn't breathe. She'd slid her hand up inside his shirt and tugged at his belt whispering how badly she wanted him to pick her up and fuck her against the tree and he'd groaned in frustration. Voices from somewhere out on the trail reminded them that they weren't as alone here as it seemed. They'd made their way back up to the bike and Beth and teased him relentlessly on the ride home. She had been in the perfect position to slide her hands down over his thighs and cup his hard cock through his jeans. Not to mention the fact that her body was plastered up against his. She'd tried once to unbutton said jeans and get her hands inside them, but he'd swerved to the side of the road. And once he got his breathing under control, begged her to stop, promising all kinds of pleasure once they got home. She'd pouted and squirmed around behind him complaining,

"Daryl this seat vibrates! Do you know what that's doing to me?" At first, it had been okay, she'd barely noticed it, but after their make-out session in the trees, it became harder and harder to ignore. He'd been intrigued by that and purposely revved the engine whenever he got the chance. Needless to say, they were both in a state when they finally got home. And she hadn't let him forget what he'd promised her and he made her tell him in great detail what that bike vibrating between her legs felt like. Falling asleep after sex with Daryl was another thing that she refused to take for granted. Wrapped up in him is her favorite place to be. And it's always going to be.

X X X

Standing in his kitchen, watching him eat his breakfast- and she's still smiling at him.

"Still smilin' at me." It's not really a question, just an observation. Leaning on one elbow he's finishing his eggs and drinking his coffee. He's always looking at her and marveling at the fact that she exists at all in his world. But it's okay that she's here, she wants it as much as he does and they both deserve it.

"You make me happy Daryl." It's soft, her tone and there's a certain way she says things that are important to her. That's the way she talks to him like her words are sacred. It does things to him. Most of all it makes him feel blessed. Even though he isn't quite sure what it means to be blessed. He only knows that Beth makes him feel something bigger than himself.

"Ya 'bout done there?" he asks as he rinses his plate and sticks it in the dishwasher.

"Yep. I have to wrap everything up and-" she dissolves into giggles as he pulls her back against him again and kisses her neck. "Daryl, what are you doing?" Teasing him with her voice is something else she can do.

"Just wanna show ya how happy ya make me," he whispers huskily against the back of her neck. He can feel her breath catch and she tips her head back onto his shoulder.

"Yeah? I want that too, just let me- Jesus Daryl." Breathy and tremorous, she squirms in his arms. His hands have found their way underneath her t-shirt and he relishes in the softness of the underside of her breasts. They're so responsive to his touch. Her nipples harden when he covers them with his hands, pinching the stiff peaks between his fingers. Turning her head she whispers against his jaw,

"Not gonna let me finish are you?" she hisses.

"Nope." Twisting in his arms she grabs the hem of her t-shirt and pulls it over her head. And she's standing there naked. Perfect. His girl.

"Baby yer beautiful." He needs to touch her, be closer to her. He's only wearing shorts. There's no discomfort in going without his shirt in front of her anymore. He doesn't feel the need to keep his scars covered. She's accepted him for who is from the very beginning. He's been on that road to acceptance for a while now and she's made it even easier for the most part. That is when he isn't questioning why someone like her could ever love someone like him. He's a sadist when it comes to accepting that he deserves good things. Right now though she's naked in front of him and he wants her. Pressing his already hard body up against hers he wraps a hand in her hair and leans down capturing her mouth in a kiss. She shivers as his hand lightly skims over her ribcage and hipbone and between her legs. Suddenly there's a pounding on the door and loud laughter. Daryl pulls Beth behind him as his brother comes sauntering into the kitchen followed by Carol.

"Hey, baby brother where ya- oh shit!" Beth is completely hidden by his body, but it's obvious she's not dressed. And luckily the island is between him and his surprise visitors because his shorts don't hide what he's feeling right now. Merle stops and stares. Carol looks horrified.

"Merle! What the fuck? Ain't ever heard of knockin'? Get out! Now!" He hasn't moved and he obviously isn't going anywhere until Merle and Carol leave. He can feel Beth shaking behind him and if she's upset he's gonna beat Merle's ass. Merle who is still standing there smirking.

"I'm so sorry Daryl!" Carol smacks Merle on the arm. "Let's go, give them some privacy." She pushes harder and Merle almost falls over.

"A'right, I'm going woman! My baby brother havin' sex in the kitchen, can't a brother take a minute ta be proud!" Merle continues to talk shit all the way out the front door. Once they're gone Daryl turns and wraps his arms around Beth.

" 'M sorry 'bout that Beth, don' worry they didn't see nothin'... yer laughing?" And she is, cracking up, her hand covering her mouth. Daryl feels a smile start to form on his lips. It was kind of funny. Especially the look on Carol's face. Beth leans into him resting her head on his chest.

"Can you imagine if they had come just five minutes later?" She's still giggling as she leans down reaches for the t-shirt she dropped on the floor near his feet.

"Ain't that funny. Ya wouldn't a been laughin' if they caught you all spread out on that island with my head between yer-" The laughter dies out and Daryl hears her suck in a breath and he isn't quite sure who's torturing who as she looks up at him with her big blue eyes. With her lower lip caught between her teeth, she drops her gaze and looks at where his cock is poking at his boxers. Again.

"Daryl… you were gonna?" He's pretty sure he just won.

X X X

The farm is ready for guests right on time. Merle and Carol followed Daryl and Beth out after they composed themselves and got dressed. With everyone helping with preparations it hardly took any time at all. Every time Beth made eye contact with Merle or Carol she could feel herself blushing and it had nothing to do with what they walked in on, but what Daryl had told her, what he said they'd almost walked in on. She can't get that vision out of her head. The ride out to the farm had been interesting too. Feeling like he had meant to tease and torment her with his comment in the kitchen, she'd chosen her tight little cutoffs, a white tank top, and her cowboy boots instead of the pretty sundress she'd initially picked out. She topped it all off with a red ribbon in her ponytail. Tied in a bow. And when she got in his truck she slid all the way over to the middle of the bench seat like she usually did, but today she made sure she's pressed up against him as close as she could get. He'd flicked her bow and when she questioned it he'd shook his head and said, ' 'S cute.' Then pulled her ponytail.

Now she's putting the last of the food on the tables Daryl and Merle set up in the shade as guests begin to arrive. Daryl joins her at the table and she can't help admiring the white sleeveless t-shirt he chose to wear. Most of his shirts are sleeveless and she should be used to it by now. But the man does things to her! His arms, for one thing, they're tanned from being in the sun and toned from all the hard work he does and she thinks of all the things those arms do for her. He wraps them around her to make her feel safe and holds her against him with them when he's fucking her into oblivion. Fanning her face, she needs to get off that train of thought right now. Georgia summers are relentless. Dirty thoughts about Daryl Dixon's arms are gonna give her a heat stroke.

"Looks good, " Daryl mumbles as he bumps up against her.

"So do you!" She giggles and when he glares at her she slips her hand into his. She watches him scan the people that are showing up. There are quite a few. It's been four years since the last Greene Family Fourth of July party, some people are curious, others enjoyed past parties and are glad to see Hershel going all out again. These people are his friends and most of them know how he struggles with the loss of his wife.

"Ya know all these people?" he asks as guests walk by the table waving or calling out a hello.

"Some. Most are my daddy's friends from church," Beth says smiling and waving at an elderly couple that waved at her. She doesn't really know most of them personally and she's pretty sure they don't know her but she resembles her momma and they knew and loved Annette. "They look at me and see my momma," she says softly and he slips an arm around her waist.

"How come ya don' go ta church?" The question makes her a little uncomfortable but it isn't because Daryl asked it, it's one she still struggles with herself sometimes, even though she feels like she made peace with that part of her life. Wishing things were different won't bring back the faith she had in her religion when she was a little girl.

"When I was little I went all the time and I loved it. I sang in the choir and carried my little bible to Sunday school. I didn't know any different. Then when I went away to college I found a church and started going there. I saw another side to everything I'd been taught. I still have faith, but I'm not gonna have blind faith anymore. Our little church here, it's all about that. No questions, just believe and God will take care of the rest. My dad wasn't happy about it but he finally accepted it and realized that everybody has to find their own way. We just don't talk about it anymore." Beth finds that she also no longer feels the huge amount of guilt that she used to for letting that part of her life go. Her beliefs are still strong. She just chooses to honor them in other ways besides Sundays on a church pew.

"Do you believe in God Daryl?" Now it's his turn to fidget uncomfortably for a minute. But he'll answer her. She knows that now. Anything she asks, he tells her. Even the hard stuff.

"I dunno. Wasn' raised with any a that. Never felt a need ta have it in my life." She watches his face as he struggles with something internally. "That a problem?" It's discomfort that crosses his as he asks her this.

"No Daryl. You've loved me for who I am and that's how I love you." The last thing she wants is for him to feel like she'd judge him for his beliefs. She won't.

" 'S nice, holding hands and praying. Don' know if 'm all that good at it, but it feels good, feels like family." He squeezes her hand and she leans into him so thankful that he's found his way into her life.

"Oh my lord chile! You look like yer momma!" A very tiny woman in a bright pink dress, her soft brown face lined with wrinkles, comes around the table and envelops Beth in a man-sized hug. Beth feels everything in her break open as she wraps her arms around this woman.

"Oh, Etta! I didn't know you were coming, I-" Etta Eubanks was one of her momma's dearest friends. She was a midwife and had been with Annette through her entire pregnancy and delivery with Beth. And then because they'd become so close, she spent more time on the farm then she did at home with her 'cranky ole ball and chain'. Etta couldn't have children of her own so she loved other people's babies and brought them into the world. She was there through Annette's battle with cancer, helping out wherever she could. Everyone said she had second sight. Some folks shunned her for that. But she had been a gift to the Greene family. Beth hadn't given her a thought in years and that hurt. Hugging her tighter she whispered into her ear. "I'm so glad you're here." Stepping back Etta eyes Daryl while Beth wipes her face.

"And who is this fine gentleman right here? Did you up and get married, Beth Greene?" Her smile is huge and her eyes are flashing mischievously and Daryl's ears are as red as the bow in her hair. Laughing Beth takes Daryl's hand.

"Etta this is my boyfriend Daryl, Daryl this is Etta she was one of my mommas best friends."

"Sister's, we was sister's, that's what we was. Still is. Nice to meet you, Mr. Daryl.." Etta asks innocently enough but Beth sees him tense up slightly.

"Dixon ma'am. Daryl Dixon." He is holding her tiny hand in his and she raises her other hand to her mouth. Beth feels her heart drop.

"Oh Daryl, I knew yer momma too. Remember you, a scrappy little guy with a dirty face and brui-" She catches herself and reaches up suddenly and pulls Daryl down into a hug. "I ain't gonna give you no pity. Yer momma was a fine woman, just got caught up in a bad situation. But you look like you took them walking feet that God gave ya and found yerself a second chance. Bless you, chile." All this is spoken softly and it's only for Daryl and Beth and even though he looks like he's seen a ghost, Beth can see in his eyes that what Etta said to him made an impact. Etta gets whisked away by Hershel to sample Maggie's peach cobbler and Beth stands next to Daryl.

"I had no idea she-" Beth starts hoping to at least apologize for any discomfort he felt, but he surprises her.

"She knew my momma, knew my piece a shit dad too and she still hugged me." Wonder. That's the expression on his face now. Beth laughs out loud and wraps her arms around him.

"It's these sleeveless shirts baby, women can't help but touch!" she teases gently, but then she cups his cheek in her hand and looks him in the eye. Those dark blue eyes that are always so serious. "You're a good man Daryl, don't you see?" Pushing herself up on the toes of her dusty cowboy boots she kisses him.

X X X

The party is in full swing. Rick and Merle took on the task of barbecuing burgers, hot dogs, and chicken. A group of older men gathered on the porch with guitars, fiddles, and banjos and they're having a jam session. Carl and Michonne are playing a heated game of horseshoes. And there are kids running all over the place armed with water balloons Glenn is filling up. Daryl feels one smack him in the back. He turns to yell at the offender, but it's a tiny little blonde girl with pigtails and scuffed knees. He glares at her and she sticks her tongue out at him and runs away. He has to admit the cold water feels good running down his back. He joins Beth where she is standing with another group of ladies, most likely from the church and she introduces him again and he doesn't think he'll ever get tired of hearing her call him her boyfriend. The ladies smile and pat him on the arm and head over to where Hershel is relaxing in a lawn chair. Daryl has a pretty good idea that some of these women are more interested in the host of the party than the party itself. A shrill whistle catches his attention and he watches as Merle and Rick come walking up to them.

"Beth it's a really nice party. Just like the old days." Rick says taking a drink of his beer. He holds a bottle out to Daryl who gladly accepts the cold beverage. Beth told him her daddy was going to allow alcohol, but he had steered clear of it out of respect for the older man. But the hot sun and hundreds of introductions he's endured make him give up his resolve and he takes a long pull on the beer.

"It is turning out really nice, isn't it? My daddy is pretty popular with the single ladies." She giggles a little but Daryl senses a tiny bit of sadness in the tone of her voice. He slips an arm around her waist and growls at her when she swipes his beer and takes a drink.

"Hey baby brother, got a wager her with officer- I mean Rick. You and me against him and Glenn in a friendly game a horseshoes." Merle is waggling his eyebrows outrageously and Daryl shakes his head.

"What kinda wager?"

"Gonna go easy on 'em, Ten bucks a game," Merle says.

"Merle ya suck at horseshoes! I'm gonna half ta carry yer ass." Daryl winks at Rick.

"Ain't ya know what a game face is? Com'on brother we got this!" Shaking his head he wanders off towards the horseshoe pit.

"I gotta handle this. Ya gonna be okay without me girl?" More like can he manage without her? She slides her arms around his neck. Her skin is pinking up and her forehead is shiny with a thin sheen of perspiration.

"Go, have fun. I'm gonna help Maggie bring out more ice." Leaning in she kisses him. On the lips. In front of everyone, well anyone who might be watching. He's uncomfortable with PDA, but her kissing him right out here in the middle of the party makes him feel things he can't name.

An hour later Daryl and Rick walk away the winners. They'd flipped a coin to see who partnered up and Merle hadn't been happy but it had been close. Turns out Glenn is pretty good at horseshoes too. Leaving the losers to try and swindle a couple of teenagers out of another ten bucks and Rick to check on Judith, Daryl heads out to his truck. He's got a pint of whiskey in his glove box and a couple of shots will make the rest of the evening go by smooth. He's hoping. Although it's been a pretty good day. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand he slams the door to his truck and he's heading back when he hears a voice, a very familiar voice from around the side of the barn. Feeling his heartbeat quicken he rounds the wooden structure and sees Beth in a heated discussion with a guy he's never seen before.

"What's going on?" Daryl's voice turns both of their heads. He reads what he thinks is relief on Beth's face, the guy standing with her looks like he's had too much to drink. And he's reaching out towards Beth with a hand that shouldn't be anywhere near her.

"Who'er you?" He's smaller than Daryl and he's trying to look tough. Poor fucker isn't doing a very good job of it.

"Jimmy this is my boyfri-" Beth starts but Jimmy interrupts. Daryl connects that name to what she told him all those weeks ago in her apartment. Beth had let him.. He'd used her and treated her like trash. Daryl clenches his fists and tries to take deep breaths to calm himself down before he pounds this punk into the ground.

"Boyfriend? Well, boyfriend, Beth and I were just reminiscing, yeah, I was her boyfriend back in high school. We had some good times didn't we Beth. I was her first boyfriend, first kiss, first fu-" Daryl slams the guy into the side of the barn before he can even finish his drunken trip down memory lane.

"Don't ya talk 'bout her, don't say nothin', don't…" Jimmy tries swinging at Daryl but in his inebriated state, it's a joke. Daryl's hands are shaking and he's afraid of what he could do, wants to do to this piece of shit.

"Who the fuck 'er you?" Jimmy slurs again. Daryl feels Beth's hands on his arms and he thinks she's saying something but he can't focus on anything except his blood pounding in his ears.

"I'm the guy who looked at her an saw her worth, so fuck you!" No longer able to control it, he slams his fist into Jimmy's face, he felt the bone give way and warmth from the blood. Then he's backing away, appalled at what he's done out of anger. He knew that no matter how hard he tried there was probably always going to be a little bit of his father in him.

Jimmy scoots along the wall of the barn. The only thing holding him up is that wooden wall. He swipes at the blood pouring out of his nose.

"You fucking her? Ha! She wasn't all that, musta learned a thing or two.." And the fucking loser just keeps on going.

"James!" Hershel isn't yelling but his tone conveys a sense of control that Daryl doesn't have. He steps back and lets Beth's daddy take over. He doesn't hear the exchange though. His flight or fight mode has kicked in and since the fight in him is gone...

"Daryl you didn't have to-" Beth starts.

"Didn'? He said the things he was sayin', 'bout you!" Daryl's voice is ragged and edged with a certain kind of desperation.

"It doesn't matter Daryl." She's calm, looking up at him, her blue eyes filled with worry. For him.

"Does matter." It's her and it matters.

"But you didn't have to hurt-" From there he stops listening. He hurt Jimmy. Probably busted his nose, made him bleed and he isn't sure he would have been able to stop if Hershel hadn't shown up. He would've kept hitting the guy until he shut him up for good. Because no one would ever talk about her like that. Not in front of him. Doesn't she understand that? Is she upset that he hurt Jimmy? The asshole deserved it! Didn't he? Daryl glances over at where Hershel stands with Jimmy whose face is a bloody mess. And Daryl has a flashback of Merle looking similar after their dad had unleashed his rage on him. He feels the contents of his stomach roll.

What has he done?

Beth's hand is on his arm and he jerks away from her like he's been burned or like he'll burn her. Backing away from her he can hear himself mumbling something as he does the only thing he knows how to do. But that's not completely true anymore. He's learned, is learning. And he's changed. This isn't the only way. But he's stuck and so resorts to old habits and runs.

Once he's in his truck he doesn't look out the window or in the rearview mirror, he doesn't want to see her as he drives away. Jimmy was wrong, but he was wrong too. He didn't have to beat the guy up. He'll go home- cool off. Jerking the steering wheel to the right he pulls over on the gravel shoulder and pulls out his phone. Tapping on the screen he holds the phone to his ear. It rings once, twice.

"Daryl?" No anger, not even close. In fact, he can hear something entirely different, concern.

"I ain't, I ain't running away. I jus' need ta breath. 'M sorry Beth. 'M going to the cabin. Watch yer fireworks okay? Then come home ta me girl." He expects an argument, yelling, something besides the quiet at the other end of the line with only her breathing. And then a small sigh.

"Okay, Daryl." She's a saint. She's not real. And he's allowed in her orbit.

X X X

Beth stays through the fireworks. She doesn't offer any in-depth reasons why Daryl is suddenly gone. Her daddy knows or surmised from what went on out by the barn. Jimmy was completely belligerent to her daddy too. After he'd had Jimmy removed from the party, Beth followed him up to the house. She'd begun to explain what had happened but Hershel had wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I've got a pretty good idea what was going on Bethy and I understand why Daryl left too. Sometimes the choices we make in the heat of the moment aren't the best, but Daryl's heart was in the right place. It was with you." Then he'd kissed her on the forehead and handed her a colorful bundle of explosives to carry out to the pond.

Maggie and Glenn give her a ride home after the fireworks. Her head hurts and honestly, all she's wanted to do since Daryl left was follow him home. She's here now though. She says her goodbyes promising to tell Daryl they both hope he feels better soon, that's what she'd told Maggie when she'd asked where Daryl was, that he wasn't feeling good.
The cabin is dark except for the blue flicker of the tv through the window. And that's odd because Daryl rarely ever watches tv. Neither of them watches unless it's a movie or something. Reaching for the door handle and feeling the cool metal she pushes it open. She isn't angry or upset. Not at Daryl. She never was. She's sad. Because even though he called and said he wasn't running away, he was. And maybe there will be times when he has to. She can accept that. It just hurts her heart. Stepping through the door she lets her eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Daryl's sprawled out on the couch eyes closed. His arms are wrapped around one of the pillows from their bed. There's a bottle of whiskey on the coffee table but it's barely been touched. She feels a rush of emotions and she wants to kick off her shoes and curl up against him. But she isn't sure that's what he wants or needs right now so she settles for perching on the edge of the couch near his feet. He must have felt her when she sat down. She's surprised he didn't hear her even before she got through the door.

"Hey," she whispers. He smiles a little and pushes himself up on the couch. "You had the tv on?"

"Was too quiet," he says rubbing his face. "How was fireworks?" He's trying to make small talk. Avoid the elephant in the room.

"Not any good without you there. My daddy must've seen my heart wasn't in it cause he let me help light them off." That had been fun, but it didn't make up for everything else.

"I missed ya blowin' shit up?" Now there's a little twinkle in his eye. For some reason it makes her cry. Silent tears that roll down her cheeks. His face falls, she can see it through watery vision.

"I'm sorry Beth, I'm sorry, I-" His voice is husky as he moves over so they're sitting side by side.

"I'm not upset, you don't gotta apologize. Jimmy was a complete ass, I get that. But you were kinda running away and-" Daryl starts to say something but she shushes him with a finger to his lips.

"Maybe you needed to. Maybe sometimes running away isn't a bad thing. You just need a break and I will always accept that Daryl." Scooting even closer she slides her hand into his. "If you need to go you should be able to go." He brushes away her tears with a rough finger. "But I hope that sometimes you can run to me too." She has no idea if she's making any sense. But he's listening. So. "I wanna be your safe place, Daryl, cause you're mine."

X X X

Whatever he thinks he deserves from her, it's certainly not what he's getting right now. Sure Jimmy was a dick. What he did to her in high school was unforgivable in Daryl's opinion and the way he'd talked about it, like it was nothing, like it was some big game pushed Daryl right over the edge. But Beth had every right to be upset with him, or disappointed, or angry or anything besides this.

He's her safe place? Fuck. He doesn't have the words. Or at least he doesn't think he does. He can't even look up at her. Blowing out a breath he bites his lip and clears his throat.

" 'S jus when I get like that, I run. Ain't never had anyone ta run too. Don't know how to do that," he mumbles. Looking down at their hands, he traces the faint blue lines that her veins make underneath her pale skin. He's avoiding her eyes because once again he's out of his element.

"Oh." That just makes him feel even worse. Ever since he met Beth things have been changing. The whole relationship thing, the whole falling in love thing, talking and working things out and god if he didn't have to run away if she could be his safe place… Maybe this right here is how you do it.

" 'M ashamed, shouldn'a beat that guy up. Shoulda just took you an left. Then yer daddy came and I felt like I fucked everything up."

"You know what Jimmy did to me, I told you and the way he was talking, Daryl you did right by me. Even my daddy knew that. You were protecting me, he deserves a broken nose. You shoulda heard him talking to my daddy!"

"Yeah?" Daryl looks over at her and she has a huge smile on her face. It softens when she looks back at him.

"I can't tell you how to feel about what you did to him, but I can tell you how it made me feel. I felt loved. It was like someone walked up to the young girl I was back in the hallway at school and put their arm around me and I wasn't alone in it." Daryl feels himself blushing and he even feels the corner of his mouth curling up.

"You turned my world upside down," he whispers, pulling her close and breathing in the scent of her. "Even if I run, 'm always gonna come back ta you girl." His voice is husky with emotion and he can feel her sigh against his chest. This is home. Right here loving her and being loved back.

"And I'm always gonna be here," Beth whispers back. She nuzzles into his neck and he feels soft little puffs of breath against his skin.

"Don't need that apartment no more, ain't using it. Next week how 'bout we go pack it all up and bring it home?" He knew she'd start in with those happy tears when he asked her this. "I'ma take that as a yes."

A/N I believe he just asked her to move in and I think she said yes! So if this next chapter cooperates and sticks to the plan, there will just be one more after it and I can mark this baby complete! I appreciate everyone who is reading and reviewing and when I see my story as someone's favorite I feel so damn proud! Thanks, guys! You're all awesome!