When they drove in the opposite direction to Beth's house, she felt her heart lift.
They drove down to the next town over, near Beth's high school. She knew immediately where he was taking her. The diner near her old school was open till late, six days a week. Beth was glad it wasn't too far away; she was still worried about Daryl after that fight. That creep had punched him pretty hard.
The whole thing was a blur, and she wondered if they should have called the police. Beth doubted that Daryl would want to involve them though. Seeing that side of Daryl was like having a veil lifted from her eyes. He hadn't hesitated in confronting the man, and had sounded pretty damn certain that he would be able to take him in a fight. It had escalated fast; Beth wasn't sure if it was because Daryl was so confrontational, but then, the man was intoxicated and holding an axe.
They pulled up outside the diner, and dismounted the bike. Beth waited while he clipped the helmets to the bike before following him into the diner. He surprised her by holding the door open for her, and she smiled shyly as she thanked him. The warmth of the diner hit her as she entered the establishment.
On a main road off the highway, the diner was pretty busy. It was the local hang out for all the high school kids and a lot of families went there for dinner. Beth had always really liked it, it had the retro style booths with high walls, and her and Jimmy had gone there plenty of times just for that reason. Even when the diner was full it felt like it was just the two of you.
Daryl held up two fingers when a waitress approached them, and she led them to a booth in the corner. Beth noticed the looks they got from the other patrons. Daryl still looked quite dishevelled, even more so than usual due to the fight, and she supposed they looked like an odd pair. A lot of the teenagers there she still recognised from school, but she didn't really know anyone that she could see. She was a bit relieved at that.
They slid into the booth across from each other, Daryl shaking off his jacket, revealing his bare arms.
Beth picked up the menu, chancing a look at Daryl over the top as he picked up his menu. He barely looked at the menu before dropping it back on the table, sitting back against the seat.
His eyes flickered to hers, and she blushed, looking down at her menu. She put the menu down once she'd decided, and looked at Daryl. He was glancing around the diner, his fingers tapping the table belying his stillness.
"Do you want me to ask Bill to help me?" Beth asked, not sure where the thought had come from.
His fingers stopped tapping the table. He shifted in his seat before shrugging.
"Up to you. You want Bill to help, ask Bill," he stated.
"I just thought maybe…after today…" Beth trailed off. "Though, I ain't sure how much good Bill would've done if it were him there today," she smiled somewhat.
Daryl snorted. "Jack shit, that's how much," he drummed his fingers again on the table. Beth's smile faded.
If it had been anyone else, who knows what that creep would have done.
"Evenin', what can I get ya?"
Beth blinked up at the waitress, torn from her thoughts.
"Steak and fries, well done," Daryl mumbled, handing the woman the menu. "And a beer."
"I'll get the beef burger and fries…and we'll just have water. No beer." Beth nodded at the waitress, eyeing Daryl apologetically. The woman raised her eyebrows, eyes darting to Daryl who had sat up abruptly.
"I'll get the beer," he stated, eyes narrowing at Beth.
"Can we just have a moment?" Beth asked the waitress.
"Sure," she smirked, glancing between the two of them, before walking away slowly.
"There a reason you tellin' me what I can't have to drink?" he asked quietly, eyes still narrowed.
"You just got punched in the head, you're on painkillers and you're gonna drive me home soon. I just think you should at least wait a while if you're gonna drink," Beth reasoned, meeting his eyes steadily. He glared at her, before snorting and waving his hand.
"Fine," he muttered.
Beth signalled to the waitress.
"Beer?" She asked, pen poised over her notepad.
"Just water," Beth smiled at the woman. The waitress looked surprised but nodded.
"Ok, just water," she smiled, giving Daryl a once over. Beth resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and merely smiled as she handed her the menu.
Daryl sighed heavily once the waitress had walked away. Beth didn't know if she was overreacting, but she'd feel a million times better if he hadn't had anything to drink before going on the motorcycle in the dark of the night after getting punched in the face. Beth folded her arms across the table, hunching forward.
"Thank you," she said quietly, feeling as though that was the thousandth time that day she'd said it.
"You ever drink before?" He asked, and she glanced at him in surprise.
"I'm eighteen," she said, looking at him incredulously.
"Uh huh," he smirked. "You ever had a drink before?"
Beth shook her head, trying not to blush again. She'd been offered alcohol before, but her father had had a problem with drinking way back, and she'd grown up strongly influenced by that. Daryl nodded slowly, as though he'd expected that answer.
"So is that where you live?" She asked, keeping her voice casual, trying to change the subject.
"Mmhmm," he smirked as he hummed his response, surveying the diner again. He had obviously seen through her attempt.
"Must be close to the river there," she commented, trying to recall the drive.
Daryl's eyes darted to hers, and he nodded. "'Bout ten minutes walk."
Beth nodded thoughtfully, as the waitress came by with their water.
Daryl took one long gulp of water before standing and grabbing his jacket, saying he was going out for a smoke. Beth sat back in her seat once he'd left, exhaling. She took her phone out of her pocket, and saw there were two messages from her father asking where she was.
Just getting something to eat, skipped lunch
Beth knew he wouldn't be happy about that, but she figured…he didn't always know best, when he didn't really know the person. There was nothing wrong with them getting some food.
Beth flashed back to the man at the cabin staring at her, and shivered.
When Daryl got back to the table she was lost in thought, going over the night's events. The way he'd stepped in front of her…she hadn't even seen the man for half of it, Daryl was shielding her from his view.
"That man was crazy," she murmured, frowning as he sat down.
"He was a drunk piece of shit, forget about him," Daryl said forcefully. Beth blinked, and picked up the glass of water, taking a sip.
They sat in silence briefly, before Daryl cleared his throat.
"So you studyin' to be a nurse or something?"
"Teacher," Beth smiled slightly.
"City?"
"Yep," Beth nodded affirmatively.
"Why can't ya just take ya Daddy's car?" He asked, tapping the table again.
"He needs it, he's a vet so he's always on call," Beth explained. "Shawn would never let me drive his truck, plus he's always working too," she continued.
"That ya brother?"
"Yep, I got a brother Shawn, and my sister Maggie," Beth's smile brightened, her face softening as she spoke of her family. "Shawn's thinkin' of moving to Macon, but I hope he doesn't. The house will be so empty if he does," her smile twisted for a moment.
A waiter came at that moment, holding a plate with her beef burger and fries. She smiled at the waiter, thanking him as he placed the plate in front of her. Beth made no move to touch the food.
Daryl nodded at the plate. "Steak'll take a while."
Beth didn't need telling twice. Her stomach had been unhappy since they'd gotten to that cabin hours earlier.
She had already finished all her fries by the time Daryl's steak arrived, and they ate for a time in silence.
"So…you must be busy, at the shop." Beth opined, in between mouthfuls of her burger.
Daryl nodded as he ate his steak, shovelling more food into his mouth.
"Is your brother away for a while?" She asked carefully, stopping to take a breath. She had basically inhaled her food so far and it was catching up with her.
She looked from her burger to Daryl, who was now chewing slowly.
Beth smiled nervously. "If you don't wanna talk about it you don't have to, I was just thinking it must be hard without him there," she shrugged, before taking another bite of the burger, even though she really didn't feel like it.
She finished off the burger around the same time Daryl finished his meal. He had really wolfed it down.
There was an awkward moment when they got the bill. Daryl insisted on paying, however Beth insisted that she pay for the meal, after all, it was the least she could do. While she was getting her wallet out of her pocket, Daryl just got up from the booth and walked away, carrying the bill with him.
Beth twisted around to see where he'd walked off to before quickly getting up to follow him. She found him at the front counter, already handing the money over.
"I could have paid," she admonished him as they walked outside to the motorcycle.
He unclipped the spare helmet, and held it out to her. "Simple 'thank you' would do," he stood up slowly. She reached for the helmet, but he didn't let go of it.
As he stared down at her, the butterflies flapped wildly against her ribcage.
"Thank you," she said finally, smiling when he rolled his eyes. He bent down to unclip his own helmet.
"Like blood from a stone," he drawled sarcastically, his eyes flickering with amusement, before he put his helmet on.
.
.
Daryl dropped her off at the gate. Beth didn't want him driving right up to the house in case her father had gone to sleep already, despite it still being only near 10 pm.
He killed the engine, taking off his helmet. "I'll sort somethin' out, message ya when I've got somethin' lined up."
Beth nodded.
He lifted his helmet up and paused, lowering it back down, seemingly examining it for a moment.
"It ain't hard."
"What?" Beth asked, edging closer.
"You asked before. 'Bout my brother. It ain't…it's easier. Clearer." Daryl looked at Beth, as if afraid of her judgment. She simply nodded in understanding, knowing that she didn't have to say anything. He started the engine up, putting his helmet back on.
She watched him drive away before turning to walk up to her house.
.
.
Beth awoke slowly with a wince, her eyelids fluttering as she shifted in the bed. Her phone was vibrating next to her and she grumbled, half asleep.
Beth fumbled around for her phone, staying under the covers.
She had walked in the door the night before to find Hershel reading in the living room. He hadn't looked up from his book, and Beth hovered in the hallway.
"Hi Daddy," she greeted him.
He closed his book gently. "Bethy. You all right?"
Beth walked over to him, smiling softly. "I'm fine," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.
He smiled, visibly relaxing. "Everything check out?"
At this, Beth had tensed. She had ended up just saying the car had a couple of problems, before excusing herself hastily. She hadn't been able to fall asleep until much later that night.
Her hand landed on her phone and she dragged it over to her ear, answering it without looking at the display.
"Hello?" Her voice was thick with the residue of sleep.
"Oh, hey, did I wake you?"
Beth sat up slowly, glancing at her phone for a second. Vanessa.
"No it's all right," Beth replied. "How are you?"
"I'm…good, how are you?"
Even through her foggy mind, Beth could sense something was off. She rubbed her eyes, blearily contemplating the question for a moment.
"I'm ok," she offered, sinking back on to her pillow. There was a short pause.
"So…Austin was at the diner last night."
The words didn't register at first, and hung in the air for a moment before a bolt of fear ran through Beth.
"Austin?" She sat upright, her mind shifting into gear.
"Don't worry, he only told me," Vanessa placated her, "he knows how Shawn is."
Beth exhaled heavily, relieved. "There is nothing to tell. Seriously."
"You had dinner with Daryl Dixon, and there's nothing to tell?" Vanessa sounded incredibly incredulous.
Beth fell back on her pillow gracelessly with a thump. "If I tell you about last night, you promise not to tell anyone? Including Austin."
"Of course I promise!" Beth could hear the excitement in Vanessa's voice. She had a feeling she was expecting to hear something a bit different.
.
When Beth finished, Vanessa was silent for a long while.
"Wha…wow. Are you ok?"
"Yeah…I was just a bit shook up, s'all. Happened so fast."
"And you didn't call the police or anything?" Vanessa was starting to sound a little concerned.
"Have the police ever been on Daryl Dixon's side?" Beth asked, annoyance creeping into her tone. Everyone knew one of the police's favourite hobbies was breathing down the Dixon's necks.
Vanessa sighed. "No, I guess not. I don't really see what's wrong with telling Austin about that though."
"He'll tell Shawn. He doesn't like me hanging out with Daryl as it is," Beth explained.
"Oh…is that what you're doing? Hanging out?"
Beth bit her lip, rolling her eyes. "Ya know what I mean."
"Are you gonna be…hanging out with him more often?" Beth could hear the full-blown amusement in Vanessa's voice now.
"I'm just kidding!" She laughed, when Beth didn't say anything.
"I gotta go…I'll talk to you later." Beth hung up, shaking her head with a wry smile. She always felt like she was right back in high school when she talked to Vanessa, freshman year.
She stretched as she got out of bed, thoughts of Daryl running through her mind. Leaping, somersaulting and barrelling through. Gosh, she was being silly. But the images kept flashing in her mind.
Sunlight. Trees. Cemete- No.
Beth drew a shaky breath.
Sunlight. Flowers, clutched in his hands. Eyes, burning holes in her. Darkness. Flickering light. His jacket. His blood.
Light and dark, what he could be, and what he'd been forged into.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, read and reviewed! You guys are awesome.