Beth sat across from her father at the dining table, watching him read the newspaper. It was an early Sunday morning and she had cooked scrambled eggs on toast for the both of them. While her father had finished eating his and was now sitting back in his chair reading, Beth was still pushing her food around.

While she was pretty sure her father would be all right with her going with Daryl, she felt a bit awkward bringing it up. This was a little different to Daryl the mechanic inspecting a car for her, this was Beth going with Daryl to...support him when he visited his brother in jail.

Beth wasn't exactly sure what she should say to her father if he asked why she was going, and she was hoping he wouldn't. One possibility that had popped into her head was that he would ask her to invite Daryl over for dinner again, though he hadn't mentioned rescheduling that at all. She just knew that it was important for Daryl to do this.

"Daddy?" She asked, sitting up in her seat.

"Hmm?" Her father arched an eyebrow, still intent on reading his newspaper.

"I was thinkin'...about going with Daryl to visit his brother."

Dead silence rang in the air. Beth felt like the sunshine through the windows and birds chirping outside had all stopped to listen.

Hershel folded his newspaper, eyes on his daughter as he slowly placed it on the table.

"Visit his brother? At the jail?"

Beth nodded firmly, her chin jutting out slightly. "He hasn't visited him yet, and it's been nearly a year. I won't go into the jail with him-"

"I should hope not," Hershel said sternly.

Beth paused. "Daddy I think it's really important that he goes," she protested.

Hershel looked at her wryly. "I'm not saying you can't go. Even if you wanted to go inside, you're an adult now. I am, however, glad that you won't."

Beth felt relieved, and emboldened by her father's words. "So, you don't mind that I go?"

Hershel sighed. "I'll leave it up to you."

Beth stared at her father before nodding slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face. She was surprised at how easily the discussion had gone. Her father started to pick up his newspaper before pausing.

"What did you mean by...it being important that he goes? Is he only going if you're going?" He asked placidly as he put his newspaper back down, but Beth detected the strong undercurrent of curiosity.

"We made a deal," Beth confessed sheepishly. "He said I could come along if I told you."

Hershel raised his eyebrows. "Did he now?"

Beth picked up her fork to start eating. "Uh huh. I don't think he thought you'd be all right with it." She glanced up at her father as she was taking a bite of her scrambled eggs to see him leaning back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. Beth held back a smile.

Once they were finished with breakfast, they cleared away the dishes and did the washing up, Beth excusing herself to go upstairs and get ready for a shift at the diner, and Hershel reaching for his phone on the kitchen counter.

Once upstairs Beth changed and stuffed a couple of readings in her bag to read while she was on her break, and picked up her phone, pausing. She contemplated messaging Daryl that her father hadn't had a problem with it (or if he did, he wasn't going to say anything) but decided against it.

.

.

"I wish my job let me study while I worked," Maddy commented airily as Beth highlighted a line on the page.

Beth mock glared at her friend, before folding up the wad of paper she had just been reading through.

"You work at the day-care centre." Beth stated, putting her highlighter back in her pocket. "The customers here don't care what I do, but the kids at your work would wreak havoc if you took your eyes off them for a second," she smiled. Maddy laughed, nodding.

"Yep, ever seen Kindergarten Cop? That's exactly what it's like."

The girls laughed.

Maddy had stopped by to chat before catching the bus in to college, her Mum needing the car that day. A bagel was sitting in the toaster on the counter behind Beth for her friend. Whilst waiting for her bagel, Maddy had gotten distracted by the crossword in the local paper and Beth had resumed her reading.

"All right, five letter word for distant." Maddy jabbed the paper with her pen as she leaned on the counter, pushing her long brown hair behind her ear with her other hand.

Beth sighed, frowning at the paper. One word came to her mind, but she wasn't about to say it to Maddy.

"What does it start with?"

"I haven't got the first letter but it ends in 'f'."

"'F'…Aloof?" Beth scrunched her nose up, Maddy mirroring her expression before writing the word into the white boxes.

"Aloof. Good work!" Maddy praised Beth as she turned to get the bagel out of the toaster. "So, you're going next weekend right?"

Beth nodded as she spread some cream cheese over the bagel. "Yeah, of course, aren't you?"

"Uh huh," Maddy's tone was light, causing Beth to turn around and look at her suspiciously while putting the bagel in a paper bag.

"You are coming right? 'Cos I know Laura and Jimmy are gonna be there and Vanessa is going to be the perfect host to everyone so you can't just leave me –"

"I am gonna be there," Maddy grinned. "But…I'm bringing someone."

Beth blinked, before grinning widely. "Really? Anyone I know?" Beth asked as she handed her friend the paper bag.

"I don't think so…I think you'll like him. But I won't leave you alone to fend off Laura and Jimmy, I'll keep you company," Maddy reassured her, smiling softly.

"Thanks Mads," Beth smiled back. They abandoned the crossword and chatted a little bit more before Maddy had to leave for class.

Beth frowned as the door to the diner swung shut after her friend left. She was happy for her friend, truly, that she had met someone but she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about the party on Saturday. It would be the first time an encounter with Jimmy and Laura would be unavoidable and the thought of it already just made her feel tired. It wasn't that she was jealous, or wanted Jimmy back, it was just…weird.

Laura had been one of the first friends she made in college, yet she hadn't spoken to Beth at all about meeting Jimmy, let alone dating him. Jimmy had not spoken to her either about meeting one of her friends at her mother's funeral and entering into a relationship with that friend either. 'Rude' was a word that did not even begin to cover what Beth thought about that. Vanessa had asked Beth if she would prefer it that they weren't invited but Beth couldn't bring herself to say no, and Jimmy was friends with Austin anyway so there was no way he wasn't going.

Beth shook her head and went back to work, clearing her mind of any further thoughts of Saturday.

.

.

Beth locked the door to the diner, glad to finally have finished her shift for the day. Carol had asked her to close up again. Before she headed home however, there was one thing she had to do, and had been looking forward to the entire day.

She held a paper bag in her hands as she walked towards the Dixon's Auto Shop, hoping that Daryl was there. When Beth walked into the dusty yard, she was relieved to see that he was in one of the garages working on one of the cars.

"Need any help darlin'?"

Beth started as a man she hadn't noticed addressed her. He was smiling at her as he stood outside the shop, a rag in his hands. She relaxed as she realised that he must be Axel, the guy that Daryl had mentioned the other day.

"Oh, no, I'm just here to see Daryl," she smiled at him distractedly as he walked over to her. He nodded slowly, wiping his hands with the rag.

"He been workin' on your car?"

Beth shook her head. "Um, no," she replied lightly. She glanced back over to Daryl and saw him walking towards them, a grumpy expression on his face. Axel invaded her line of sight, coming to a stop in front of her, throwing the rag over his shoulder to rest there before folding his arms in front of him. He smiled widely at her, his oddly trimmed moustache seeming to spread across his face, and she shifted on her feet as she picked up a more-than-friendly-interest vibe.

Behind Axel she saw Daryl approaching them, his scowl now clearly visible. Despite this, she felt her face light up and she barely registered Axel looking around in confusion before he took a step back towards Beth upon seeing Daryl standing behind him.

Daryl didn't seem to need to say anything, glaring as Axel nodded nervously to the both of them, before backing away slowly.

"I'll just…got work to do," Axel smiled nervously, his head bobbing, before glancing at Daryl warily and walking away quickly.

Daryl watched him walk away before turning back to Beth, his scowl lessening, the lines of his face smoothing over. He jerked his chin up in greeting.

"Hey."

Beth walked over to stand in front of him. "Hey," she greeted him, slightly torn between amusement and reproach. Even if his smile had seemed a little…eager, Axel was obviously all too aware of his employer's temper.

"He botherin' you?" Daryl asked, looking down at her seriously.

Beth shook her head, lifting one shoulder up. "He's harmless," she replied, already forgetting the moustached man. Daryl was tanned, sweaty and dirty and Beth made a mental note to visit him more often at work. He seemed to relax slightly at Beth's words.

"I gotta get this car done," he gestured in the direction of the car he'd been working on.

"Oh," Beth glanced reflexively in the direction he indicated, flushing slightly. "Sorry, I can…I'll just message you next time." She winced inwardly.

He shook his head, already starting to turn away. "S'all right, just gotta talk while I work," he jerked his head, indicating for her to follow. Feeling relieved again, Beth followed him into the garage where a car was raised up.

"Still on for Sunday?" He asked, picking up one of the tools from the bench. Beth sat down on a stool, placing the paper bag on her lap. She saw him glance at it before turning to the car, walking underneath it.

Beth blinked. Of course he thought this was about that. "Oh yes, Sunday is fine," she assured him. She watched as he resumed work on the car. Eventually, he glanced over at her raising an eyebrow and she realised she'd been staring at him, fascinated as he'd been at work.

"Is the owner picking it up soon?" She asked, her eyes flickering up to the car.

Daryl nodded. "Should be here now," he grunted, as he seemingly finished twisting a part into place. He examined the car for a couple of minutes longer before he stepped out from under the car, hitting a switch on the side of the vehicle lift mechanism. The car was lowered down on to the ground, and he walked around to open the hood.

"Is there much left to do?" Beth leaned over slightly as the hood of the car now obscured Daryl.

"Nah, just makin' sure it's done right," he replied, his voice slightly muffled as he bent over the engine. Beth nodded, deciding to wait until he was finished before she broached the topic she had come to discuss.

Axel appeared shortly, the owner of the car trailing behind him, Mrs Edwards. Beth waited while Daryl spoke to her about the car, and despite having church that night she wasn't going to leave until she had spoken to Daryl. Finally, Mrs Edwards was driving away and Daryl yelled at Axel to go home, and he walked back into the garage and began putting tools back on the hooks on the wall, each one seeming to have a specific place.

It didn't take long until each of the tools had been returned to their respective hooks, and Daryl looked around the garage as though searching for something else to keep him busy.

"Daryl, I spoke to my Daddy."

Beth said it quietly but it seemed to echo throughout the workshop, and she saw Daryl's body tense.

"He said…that it was up to me."

Daryl bowed his head, and Beth realised once again that this was a lot harder for him than she could truly understand. She slid off the stool and placed the paper bag on the bench behind her before walking over to him.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. It doesn't mean anything, that I can go. It was just a silly bet." Beth resisted the urge to take his hand.

Daryl lifted his head, looking out over the yard over Beth's head, his eyes searching.

"Been long enough," he said finally. He looked down at her and she could see the blue in his eyes, the glare of the sunlight outside highlighting them.

"Ok," she stated. "And if you don't want me to come, that's ok too."

He glanced up at the yard before looking back down at her, giving a small shake of his head. "Bet's a bet. I'll let you know once I've set it up."

"I'll be there," Beth promised him. She allowed herself a small smile as she looked up at him, happy that he made the decision for himself outside of the bet, even if he used it as an excuse. He nodded in reply, still focused on her intently and the silence stretched between them. The air felt heavy, the warmth around them holding a weight. He was so close to her, his body held so rigidly like a statue carved out of marble.

"I…uh, I brought you something," she gestured behind her, breaking the silence. He blinked and looked over at the paper bag.

Beth turned to walk over to the bench, and picked up the paper bag, slowly pulling out the inside contents, the crinkling of the paper somehow sounding twice as loud as it really was.

"It was leftover from today, at the diner. It's called a vanilla slice. Do you like custard?" She looked at him quizzically.

He shrugged, looking at the pastry in an almost suspicious way.

Beth hesitated. "Have you…had custard before?"

He walked towards her slowly, shaking his head.

Beth blinked in surprise but tried to hide it, placing the cardboard tray on top of the paper bag on the bench.

"You didn't have to," she heard him mutter.

"I wanted to," she replied simply. "It should keep for about a day, if you keep it in the fridge." She glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to find that he was standing right there, less than an arm's length away.

"Can't really take it on the bike," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right." Beth hadn't thought about that. She glanced down at the pastry. "Do you have a fridge here? I can just put it in there…or, if you don't want it, I can just take it," she offered, stopping herself before she rambled on. She was really wishing she had messaged him before coming over.

"Nah, just eat it now." He abruptly walked over to stand beside her and lifted the box up, pushing it over to sit beside the paper bag. He reached inside the paper bag and pulled out the three forks that Beth had thrown in there, before pausing and holding one out to her.

"Go halves," he offered, his tone almost casual.

Beth hesitated, her eyes locked with his, before she accepted it and he pulled up another stool.

"Axel will be so disappointed," she quipped and he rolled his eyes, giving her a dark look that made her giggle. He sat on the stool, one foot remaining on the floor and the other planting itself on the bar running between the stool legs.

Beth watched as he dug his fork into the custard-layered dessert, the custard bulging out of the tiers of flaky pastry, and brought the fork up smoothly to his mouth, enveloping it with his lips. Beth watched him chew, her elbow on the bench and fork hanging loosely between her fingers. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he looked at her.

"Not bad," he opined, before digging his fork in again. Beth smiled before doing the same.

They ate for a while in silence, Beth musing to herself that this was not how she saw her afternoon going. The workshop was filled with the sounds of the wind and the birds outside, and the scraping of the paper as they dug their way through the pastry, until they were at the middle. Beth laid her fork down, intending to leave the rest of the pastry for Daryl who was still eating.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she nudged the box towards him. "I brought it for you," she reminded him gently.

He slowed his chewing, eyes flickering between her and the pastry before he nodded slightly and took the last bite.

"Never seen this at the diner," he said, his voice slightly thick around the custard.

Beth nodded agreeably. "They offered it as a special, they don't normally stock them," she said, before glancing at him. "I never see you at the diner." She paused. "'Cept a few years back, I remember serving you coffee."

He nodded slowly. "Go during the week sometimes. You work weekends."

"Not all the time," she informed him, before tilting her head. "How'd you know that?"

He chewed for what seemed like a long time. "Carol."

Beth blinked, mildly surprised. "Carol told you?"

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, I hear her. Tellin' people."

Beth furrowed her brow in confusion. "She tells people I work on weekends?"

He shook his head, a trace of a smirk appearing for the barest of seconds before it was gone. "She tells people 'bout taking Sophia out on the weekends. It's why you close up," he stated, grabbing the box and paper bag and crushing them in his hand, the pastry completely gone.

"Oh…" Beth frowned. "She never tells me where she goes," she said softly.

Daryl chucked the ball of crumpled paper and cardboard into the bin some metres away, the rubbish falling in cleanly.

"Doesn't say where exactly," he shrugged, leaning back slightly. "Scared her asshole husband will find out…just says stuff like…she took her swimming."

Beth opened her mouth, and then closed it. That was the first time she'd ever heard someone talk about Ed Peletier without acting as though they were stepping on eggshells.

"It's her business anyway." He stated flatly, giving Beth a measured look. She glanced down at her hands, before looking up at him, nodding. She realised he was right about that, why did she have to know?

Daryl stood up, jolting Beth from her thoughts. "Don't be too worse for wear on Sunday," he said dryly and she rolled her eyes, smiling before a thought struck her. She stared at him and he glanced over at her as though sensing her gaze.

"Would you –?" She stopped, her words caught in her throat. She couldn't ask him, could she?

Beth had a sudden image of sitting around a bonfire with her former classmates and Daryl. He would never agree. He squinted at her and she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that he knew what she had been about to ask. The butterflies in her stomach took flight, diving into the abyss and Beth shook her head, smiling weakly.

"W-Would you want me to meet you here on Sunday?" Beth realised even as she stumbled over her words that it was a transparent effort.

Daryl squinted at her, before turning away. "Pick you up at 10," he muttered as he picked up a rag.

.

.

Later that night, Beth sat at her laptop working on an assignment. However, she couldn't concentrate. She was grateful that Daryl hadn't called her up on her slip and demanded to know what she was really going to ask. She dragged a hand down her face, staring at the screen. Would she have felt worse if she had asked him to come, only for him to say no? She was positive he would have said no. She once again imagined if he did go to the party. The track record of the town's residents did not serve them well, and she imagined their stares, their jeers and worse. That was to say nothing of Daryl's own track record. He wasn't a knight in shining armour, he fought with his bare hands. It wasn't that she would be ashamed to be with him, but why would she subject him to a night of open hostility? If it were possible to just be her and him…

She buried her face in her hands, feeling her eyes burn from the glare of the screen.

It was late, she was exhausted and suddenly dreading Saturday. She shut her laptop off and turned her light off, finding her way in the dark to her bed, climbing in with a sigh. She was just being dramatic, she told herself.

Sure, Saturday would be awkward at first upon seeing Jimmy and Laura together for the first time, but it would be a fun night overall.

She closed her eyes.

A/N: Thank you for all your follows, favourites, reviews and for reading! It is greatly appreciated :)

Thanks to the guest reviewer who pointed out that there is one Sheriff per county and the others are deputies. I actually made Rick the Sheriff in this story (even though I know he wasn't in the TV show), so Shane is a Deputy. If I messed up their titles or anything, please let me know.