I just want to take this time to say that I am floored by the amount of reviews I've been getting in such a short amt of time since I started writing this, especially since it's my first fic for TWD and my first in a while. It means a lot. I hate to say that updates might be slower than usual from this point on. Most of it is writer's block but it's also other factors. I might have one or two Bethyl one-shots up my sleeve if things go south. Again I really appreciate the love so keep it up.

There was so much that Beth had not expected as she was forced by the law to leave with Daryl Dixon. One was that he was much older than she had expected him to be. Was this really the man whom her father said was a friend of Rick's? He looked as if he had been outside of civilization and had been fending for himself for a very long time.

They were both quiet the entire ride which only added to Beth's discomfort. Daryl's home was much too far away from the settlements...too far away from the home she knew. After about an hour, Daryl was turning the bike straight into the woods where the roads were all dirt. From there it was a blur riding through rough hills, dodging trees. It was dusk by the time he finally stopped.

At first Beth thought Daryl was trying to pull a joke on her. But he nonchalantly turned off his bike and got off. He was walking towards the aging shack as it really was his home.

"You comin' or you gonna sleep out here with the walkers?"

Beth grabbed her bag and cautiously followed Daryl into the house. She thought her greatest challenge was the animal skins hanging all over the porch but then she got inside the house and once the lights came on, she was completely overwhelmed. The house was so cramped, she could swore that the whole thing could fit in her old family room. Numerous odors, from God knows what, plagued the air distracting her from the mess she tried to walked through. Daryl tried kicking some of the trash out of the way but it didn't seem to be helping. "Sorry 'bout the mess," he said. "Had I known I was gettin' hitched, I woulda cleaned up." Beth could definitely sense a sarcastic tone in his voice.

He headed over to a small unplugged refrigerator in the corner of what was supposed to be a kitchen, but with so much crap lying around, Beth couldn't tell. There was very little in terms of food and drink unless Daryl were to go hunt now. But it was starting to rain outside so that was out of the question. The small fridge was nearly filled with Merle's beer stash. He only managed to find one measly bottled water in the far back and he tossed it over to Beth. She caught it as she struggled her way over to the couch, the only place there was to sit, though it seemed like someone had been sleeping in it.

Since arriving here, Beth had become too quiet for Daryl's comfort. But how could he blame her? She just lost her home and her family and now she was stuck in this pig-sty with him for probably the rest of her life...all due to some damn law. Not mention the unspoken part of the law which he knew was the whole purpose of everything. To call this a marriage was a complete joke. It was what the Governor had intended it to be...a breeding partnership, the kind of shit that before would only happen in a third world country. In six months time, he would have to screw her until she provided offspring and she could have no position on the matter. It made him sick to his stomach that her only other option, the one he saved her from, would've resulted in her being locked up and having the whole process sped up against her own will.

No doubt it was only a matter of time before she would come to resent him...as if the whole thing was somehow his fault when he had only been pressured and begged into taking part in this mess. Daryl could already tell that Beth was intimidated and uncomfortable around him. It made him feel the need to get defensive. "Hey, I ain't enjoying this anymore than you are!" His tone made Beth jump a little. "Your daddy and Rick...they wouldn't let up till I said yes!"

When Daryl looked back he saw that Beth was on the verge of crying again. So he paced around in an effort to cool down. He couldn't look at her again but instead took a few deep breaths. "Look, I told your dad we would hold off...as long we can. Wait till the last minute if we have to."

Luckily, Beth understood what he meant. "So six months?" she asked.

"Alot can happen till then. Hell maybe they'll get rid of that stupid law and you can go home." In honesty though, Daryl was only saying that to make her feel a little more hopeful about her situation. But for as long as Daryl has been here, he knew the Governor better than that. The madman was often full of ridiculous laws that he and his brother had gotten in trouble for on many occasion. "The bedroom in there's yours," he said pointing to the door on the other side of the cramped space. "Just don't mind my brother's stuff in there."

"It's your brother's room?"

"Only one in the house. Last time I tried to sleep in the bed when he weren't around, I woke up to him punching me in the face. But he ain't gonna be back for a while, so you're fine."

Beth grabbed her bag and cautiously headed to the bedroom. The door barely managed to stay on as she she went opened it and the room itself was ridiculously small. The worn mattress pile took up most of the space. There was an adjacent bathroom but when she looked inside, all she saw was rotting wooden walls and an empty drain.

She climbed onto the mattress to overwhelmed to change into her night clothing. And besides that, the room was a bit drafty. She was surprised that the rain from outside haven't seeped in other than through the cracks of the boarded window. On the other side of the room, she spotted the large tattered Rebel flag hanging on the wall. Beth figured that as long as she was calling this place home, her new brother-in-law would not mind her borrowing it while he was gone and if he did, then to hell with it. She curled herself up in the flag and wiped away the last of her tears.

Although she had not prayed in quite some time, Beth let out a silent prayer...mostly for her father who was now all alone in that big farm house and for her sister and her family. The only thing Beth wanted for herself was for this...'marriage' to work. She had to if she wanted any chance of ever seeing her family again.

...

Somehow, she had fallen asleep only to wake up to the noise of nature outside. It took every ounce of strength within her to get up and out of that room. The living room was empty and lifeless as it was the night before. Daryl was nowhere to be found, not that she cared. There was only a slight change in odor, like that of smoke and realized that it was coming from outside.

On the porch was Daryl, heating some meat over a rusty backyard grill. "Go on then, sit down."

Beth took a seat on the chair right by him as he finished cooking the meat. She could tell that Daryl still felt unpleasant and surly as he was last night. Knowing that this little arrangement was going to keep the two of them at odds for a while, the last thing Beth needed to be to him right now was a burden.

"I don't eat much," she said.

Daryl took one quick glance at her skinny self and smirked. "I can tell." It didn't stop him from putting a large portion of the cooked meat on the plate and handing it to her. A moaning sound could suddenly be heard off in the distance. Beth tried to look out, but it was impossible too see through the fog that formed beyond the porch and she started to tense.

"We're too high up. Walkers rarely get up here. Too steep for 'em to climb, 'specially after it rains."

It didn't seem to be making Beth feel any better. She tried to calm herself by taking a bite of the cook meat. She knew just by smelling it that it wasn't any chicken or pork that she was used to. Whatever it was, she knew she would have to accustom herself to whatever it was she was now chewing on.

Daryl had noticed that Beth was still in her clothes from yesterday. "Didn't sleep last night?"

"I don't sleep much either," she told him. It didn't seem like Daryl believed her lie. He got up and started walking past her. "Gotta go check the walker traps."

"You want me to do anything?"

Daryl grabbed his crossbow and leapt off the porch. "Whatever the hell you want."

Beth quickly tried to weigh her options, follow him or stay. She struggled back and forth with the decision only to realize that Daryl had long disappeared into the fog. No way she would be able to follow him in that mess even if he was still there. With nothing that could be done, she went back into the house alone.