They were going on a run again. While they were well supplied with food and medication they needed to find some new clothes. All they had to wear was the tattered clothes they'd escaped the prison with, and the few T-shirts they'd found in the closet. Daryl kept his eyes open for any other cars on the road. Beth's report of seeing an unknown car didn't thrill him. That meant someone else was in the area, which could mean trouble for them. He pulled into the town and saw the message Beth had spray painted on the wall still there.

"Look for a store that has clothes," he said, driving down the main street. They came to the end of the street and Beth pointed out a storefront on the corner.

"It looks like that place could have some," she said. Daryl pulled the car over and checked for any walkers nearby before getting out. Beth was right. The store looked like some little boutique, there was a mannequin standing in the window with a dress on. "How beautiful," said Beth, smiling up at the mannequin. Daryl couldn't blame her, when was the last time she'd been able to go shopping. Daryl went in before her, his crossbow up, checking for any walkers. He spotted one in the corner and quickly shot it in the head. The rest of the store seemed to be clear so he let Beth go in. He saw her spot a rack of dresses in the corner. They weren't casual dresses but evening gowns, like the ones the girls wore to prom. Although he'd never gone to his own prom never mind finish high school, he'd heard the local girls talk about it like it was some big deal. He saw Beth pull a pink sparkly puffy gown off the rack and hold it up to her body. He suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance. She needed to take this seriously, they needed to get some clothes and get out.

"Come on girl," he said, "Put down the dress and find some real clothes to wear." She didn't seem to hear him as she continued to look through the rack.

"I never got to go to my prom," she said, "But I remember when Maggie went to her's, she wore a beautiful red dress and did her hair up nice, I wish I could of done it."

"It's not that excitin'," he said, "I'm sure you didn't miss anythin'."

"Oh come on," she said, "You never went to prom?"

"Hell no," he said, "I was out in the woods, fendin' for myself."

"Well it's never too late," she said. She pointed out a suit hanging on the wall. "Get a suit and we can have our own prom." He saw her cheeks redden at the request. He laughed and said

"Ain't no way you're gettin' me into one of those things." He was pretty sure he'd never worn a suit in his entire life.

Beth was feeling brave, she knew Daryl's cold personality when it came to things he didn't like or wasn't comfortable with but it was one request she couldn't resist asking. The thought of her father, Maggie and the others was weighing down on her mind, she wanted to do something fun to take the pain away and distract her for awhile.

"Pleeease," she said, "We can have our own little celebration, all we've been doing is surviving. I can't remember the last time that I actually felt like I was living," said Beth. It was the truth, at the prison she had Judith, her father and sister to motivate her. Even then she had just been simply existing, not living. "It wouldn't hurt to do something fun." He looked at her skeptically.

"Fine," he said, "But I ain't dressin' up."

"Well can I at least bring some of these back with me?" He sighed and said

"Sure, just make sure you grab some real clothes."She rolled her eyes at him and looked through the rack. She found a beautiful long blue dress that caught her eye. It was strapless and covered in light baby blue sequins, had a slit down the front and a long train. It reminded of her something a Disney Princess would wear. She quickly slipped the dress into her bag and moved onto the rack of regular shirts and pants. She saw Daryl on the other side of the store in the men section. They worked quickly and within five minutes they were out of the store and back on the road.

"Gotta make a quick stop," he said, pulling over on the side of the road again, "I'll only be a minute, stay here." He got out and she watched him go into the liquor store. Five minutes later he came out with a full bag. She could hear the bottles clinking together inside.

"What are those for?" she asked. He devilishly smiled at her and said

"You said you wanted to have some fun didn't you?"

Daryl sat in front of the bonfire on a log, looking into the flames. It wasn't too hot or too cold out. It was the perfect temperature to have a fire. He heard the front door shut and watched as Beth walked over. She smiled and sat down next to him.

"So," she said, "How do you have fun?" He laughed and took out a large bottle of vodka from his bag. He quickly got the cork off and didn't hesitate in taking a large swig.

"You're turn," he said, holding out the bottle to her.

Beth was shocked, she had never drank before. She cautiously took it from his hands. She pressed the bottle to her lips and took a quick sip. The liquor felt like fire traveling down her throat. It warmed her belly and she scrunched up her face as her eyes watered. Daryl laughed and said

"First time drinkin'?"

"Ya," she said, suddenly her thoughts went back to her dad. If he could see her now he'd be rolling over in his grave, if he had one. Daryl noticed the change in her demeanor and said

"Take another sip, it gets better." This time Beth took a bigger sip. Her eyes watered again and she shivered at the new sensation. Daryl took out another bottle and drank some more himself. She remembered when Maggie first went off to college her father had warned her about drinking alcohol and how it would effect her. Her father had been an alcoholic himself. Determined to keep negative thoughts off her mind, she took another swig. Her legs were starting to feel loose and relaxed. The alcohol was bitter but soothing at the same time. Before she knew it she had taken at least three more swigs and the world was starting to spin. Daryl didn't seem to be effected yet, he was still sitting on the log, calmly staring into the fire. Beth however had a sudden burst of giddiness and started giggling.

"Feelin' it already?" he asked with a smirk. It was a good feeling, she hadn't felt this happy or free in a long time. She slid off the log onto the ground and continued to drink more. By the time Daryl pulled the bottle out of her hands she was gone. The world was cloudy and she felt excited and full of energy.

Daryl was astounded at her behavior, he'd never seen her act like this. "That's enough for you," he said in slurred speech, putting the bottle back in the bag. He could feel the alcohol clouding his mind but it would take a lot more to get him drunk. Beth sat back up on the log and said

"So this is how Daryl Dixon has fun," he laughed at her and said

"Ya," he took another drink and said, "Haven't had a good drink since the end of the world." She laughed at him and said,

"It's not the end of the world," she said, "We're still here." He shrugged and said

"I've been out in the woods since I was little, not much of a difference, 'cept we've got monsters chasin' us." He took another drink and Beth laughed again. "What's so funny huh princess? Never had to fend for yourself? Livin' with the perfect mommy and daddy?"

"Nah," she said, "I was just imagining you as a little kid, with a little crossbow, running around the woods." she said laughing hysterically. Half of the bottle of whiskey was gone and Daryl had lost all of his senses. He saw Beth reaching for the bottle of vodka in the bag and said

"No more for you darlin'," Not listening to him she quickly grabbed it from the bag and ran to the other side of the fire, giggling and watching him with a daring 'come and get me' expression. Feeling adventurous he got up and started chasing after her. She didn't make it far and he grabbed her from behind. He buried his face in her neck and growled,

"Come on sweetheart, gimme back the bottle." She tried to break free from him and he was suddenly very aware of her body moving against his as she struggled. He felt himself getting turned on and hoped to God she wouldn't notice it. He almost couldn't hold himself back from kissing the soft skin on her neck and pulling those shapely little hips of her's onto his lap and letting her go to town. He let out a groan as she went limp in his arms, giving up the fight. He had an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. He had dominated her, he'd shown her who was boss. He took the bottle from her hands and took her back to the fire. He sat back on the log while she sat between his legs, her head leaning back into his crouch. He was having a hard time keeping it together. Visions of her sucking on his cock flashed through his mind. Her pretty little mouth wrapped around him, teasing him. Almost as if she was reading his mind she turned around and sat up, putting her elbows on his legs and looking up at him. She didn't say anything but looked into his eyes.

"I don't think you know what you're doin' darlin'," he said, smiling at her. She just laughed and leaned in closer to him, her eyes half closed. Was she trying to kiss him? But suddenly her eyes widened and she yelled

"Daryl look out!" Quickly he stood up and grabbed his crossbow. Coming for him was a walker. It was close enough that if she hadn't of seen it, it would of definitely taken a chunk out of his shoulder. He instantly sobered up and shoot it in the head. The fun atmosphere had been broken.

"Let's get inside," he said, Beth looked disappointed,

"Awww, you're gonna let a walker ruin all our fun?"

"There could be more around," he said, pouring a bucket of water onto the fire and putting it out. He picked Beth up off the ground but it was clear she wasn't able to walk on her own. He slung the bag around his shoulder and picked her up. He could feel her curl into a ball in his arms and bury her face into his chest. He brought her upstairs to the bed and lay her down. As he walked off to go downstairs and shut the door she grabbed his wrist.

"Don't leave me," she said.

"I'll be right back darlin'." He couldn't hold himself back from using endearments, they just slipped out. He knew he was screwed the next morning. If she remembered any of this it could make things awkward. He quickly went back downstairs and shut the door, putting a chair in front of it like the night before. When he went back upstairs Beth was already under the covers, seemingly asleep, but as he quietly lay down on the couch he felt her grab his arm again. He couldn't help but comply. She had him wrapped around her finger. He slid into the bed next to her and the instant his head hit the pillow he felt her put her arm over his bare chest and lay her head next to him. Fuck. He couldn't get this girl off of him. He didn't want her off of him. It didn't take him long to completely pass out.

It was still dark out when Beth woke up. She was sweating and her stomach was killing her. She groaned in pain and curled into fetal position. She couldn't help but let a few tears out. A wave of nausea came over her. She quickly got up and ran into the bathroom. She just made it to the toilet as she threw up. It was all liquid and she could taste the alcohol. She sat on the floor, feeling like she was puking her guts out. It burned coming back up, just like it had going down. She heard someone walk in the doorway. She saw Daryl standing there, he didn't need to be told what was wrong, he knew instantly. He quietly came over and held her hair back for her as she continued to vomit. He ran his hand over her back trying to comfort her. She felt totally embarrassed. When she was done her stomach felt much better but she felt like complete shit, her head felt like it was being split open. She could only imagine what Daryl must think of her. A little girl who can't handle alcohol, a burden he had to look after. She wasn't even exactly sure what had happened at the fire. She remembered seeing the walker behind Daryl but that was it. He helped her up off the floor. He brought her back to the room and got a bottle of water for her which she chugged down. He seemed to know exactly what to do. He went and got her some pain medicine which she took as quickly as she could. She lay down and closed her eyes, trying not to concentrate on the pain. He lay back down next to her and continued to rub her back as she lay on her side. It took her forever to fall back asleep but Daryl stayed awake with her, making sure she didn't get sick again.