AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for reading, the follows and comments. Like the chapter before on Daryl, this is a short chapter on Beth.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Walking Dead or its characters

Apologies in advance for any spelling and grammatical errors. Thoughts in Italics


Touched by an Angel

Chapter 8


The timer went off on the oven and Annette quickly rushes into the kitchen, drops her basket of freshly picked herbs onto the table and grabs the oven mitts. Yanking the oven door open, it releases a ghastly waft of smoke right into her face.

"Beth!" Annette coughs violently as she fans the air with one hand and reaches into the oven with the other. Retrieving the pan, she nudges the door shut with her knee and deposits the pan containing the Pineapple Upside Down Cake onto the wooden cutting board.

The sudden bang jolted Beth out from her daze. Seeing the haze of smoke around her, she curses beneath her breath and jumps up waving a tea towel under the smoke detector but it was too late, it goes off.

"Oh snap! I'm really sorry!" Beth apologises as she watches her mama rushing around like a headless chicken, opening up windows and moving her aside so she can deal with the smoke detector.

She felt useless standing there watching. When she takes a look down at the Pineapple Upside Down Cake which was meant to be for after dinner, she felt terrible as it was burnt to a crisp. The red glazed cherries were now a blazed black.

"Urghhhh!" She grumbles, smacking a hand to her forehead.

The Pineapple Upside Down Cake was a family favourite and her mama went out of her way to make it specially for her even though her mama had an endless list of jobs to do around the house and on the farm.

She had agreed to keep an eye on the cake whilst her mama did some last minute chores. She had been so distracted with her thoughts, she unknowingly set the temperature way too high and the timer too long. She had ruined The Pineapple Upside Down Cake and most definitely the remainder of the evening.

Closing her eyes, she can just picture the looks on her daddy's, Shawn's and Maggie's faces when they come to learn there was no desert for after dinner. There was always dessert and the whole evening was going to stretch ahead with sighs and grumbles.

Being in the kitchen and helping her mama was one of her most favourite things to do. Everyone had always complimented her of how much she was the spitting image of her mother in looks, brains and flair – especially around the kitchen but here she was in the heart of the home, miserable looking, getting in the way and nearly burning it down. Right now, she was unable to concentrate and wanted nothing more than to crawl under her bed covers and not come out until she stopped feeling the way she was feeling because it was depressing.

"This is ridiculous!" She tells herself for feeling like she'd lost something she never really had. They'd only crossed each other's paths twice and exchanged a few words but more importantly, Daryl Dixon belonged to someone else! She reminded herself.

At that realisation, her shoulders slump just as her heart does. She felt embarrassed, silly and incredibly stupid for allowing her head and heart to run away with her irrational mind. She lets out a sigh remembering how dreamy Daryl looked as snowflakes danced around his handsome face. Oblivious to how gorgeous he actually is; how under that hard exterior of his, there was a shyness that was so endearing, she wanted nothing more than to lean up on her tiptoes and drape her arms around his neck and cling to him, so he could wrap his arms around the small of her back and twirl her around under the moonlight sky as snowflakes danced around them.

Realising her mind was off again, she lets out a heavy sigh. She had to stop!

The sigh doesn't escape Annette's ears. She turns her attention towards her youngest. Beth had been so energetic, eager and full of excitement when she left the farm this morning but when Beth returned, something wasn't quite right - she had returned quite the opposite. Beth's smile didn't quite reach her eyes like they normally did and her spark wasn't there when asked how her first day went. She had expected Beth to be bursting and raving how great her new job was but she didn't receive that reaction. She had put it down to it being a very busy first day, learning and following new procedures and Callie Wilson was known to be a tough boss that everyone wanted to impress. But standing there and watching her daughter, she couldn't help but notice how dejected and miserable Beth looked. She steps towards and places a hand on Beth's shoulder "Honey?"

Beth eyes lift up to meet her mother's. They were warm, kind and motherly. Her mama always knew what to do and how to make her feel better.

"Oh mama!" She frowns, dropping her face into her hands. "Why does everything have to be so complicated!?"

Annette guides Beth into a seat at the old kitchen table and begins to move around the kettle station. She flips on the kettle and fishes out the dainty little cups and saucers that Beth adores.

Beth watches cupboard doors opening and closing, the laminated poster 'Keep Calm and Put the Kettle On' comes into focus. She watches her mama like she's done a million times before. The golden tin containing the special cookies and biscuits that only came out in times like this clicks open. And within a blink of an eye, her mama had taken a seat beside her pouring two cups of tea from the tea pot and a plate piled high with chocolate chip cookies had been placed right in front of her. She takes one and scoffs it whole and goes in for another. Most people lost their appetites when feeling down, she was the opposite.

As Annette stirs two sugar cubes into Beth's tea, she watches Beth from the corners of her eyes. Knowing her daughter, she wasn't going to coax or push Beth to open up, Beth only opened up when she was ready to and not a moment sooner. She slides the cup and saucer in front of Beth and drops a sugar cube into her own tea.

Beth takes up her cup, closes her eyes and sips her sweet tea. It was like a soothing balm, instant soothing her mind and body. It was giving her a moment of peace and comfort which finally helps her to relax and open up, unburden her feelings and her disappointment that the guy she likes and who she is undoubtedly attracted to - is emotionally connected to another woman.

Annette listens to Beth without interruption or judgement. Once Beth stopped speaking and their cups were empty, Annette reached out and squeezed Beth's hand giving her comfort and show of understanding of her predicament. It was a predicament many men and women faced in life and every situation had a different outcome. Only a handful got their happily ever after, she prays Beth is one of them because she can see her daughter was already emotionally invested in this Daryl Dixon, she can see it in Beth's eyes but she worried - what if the feelings weren't mutual.

"Where there's tea, there's always hope and a solution!" Annette says whilst pouring them both a second cup of tea.

The corners of Beth's lips turn up into a small smile. Her mama trying to find solutions always involved tea.

Annette had experienced something similar in her time, nobody but Herschel knew. He was the ear, the shoulder and a great pillar of strength. It had bonded them when they were strangers and made them partners for life. Herschel had been her saviour and she became his too.

"You've got to give it time. Be patient and be understanding. He's been through a lot, the first cut is the deepest. A friend and a shoulder to lean on is what he needs right now. Time is a great healer and if it's meant to be, it will be."

Beth observes her mama. She spoke as if with experience and before Beth could ask, the screen door creeks open. Maggie stomps in with Shawn following closely behind, both bickering which was normal and Glenn appears to play peacemaker.

Beth knew her mama is right. She had to give Daryl some time before acting on her feelings. It would be hasty, desperate and he might not even feel the same way. But more importantly, it was too soon for Daryl. He needed to get over his ex and be ready to move on. And there was no stopping them from being friends she tells herself.

Jumping up feeling better, she kisses her mama on the cheek, whispering a thank you.

"I'm gonna make a yummy scrummy trifle!" She announces knowing all the ingredients were in the ladder, cupboards and fridge - it was a matter of putting it all together.