Prompt: AU Daryl goes to the animal shelter to find a dog and Beth is volunteering there.

Man's Best Friend

He pulled up in his truck and parked, already he could hear the dozens of dogs barking inside the building and his heart broke a little bit. He knew what it was like to be in a cage and it sucked. He pocketed his keys and walked inside. The cute blonde at the counter looked up at him. "Hey there, can I help you?" she asked with a smile that could make angels cry.

"I came to look at the dogs," he answered.

She smiled and grabbed her clipboard with a thick stack of papers attached to it. "I can defiantly help you with that." She walked around from behind the counter and to the door that led to the kennels. "I'm Beth," she added as she opened the door and they walked into the loud echoing room with the dogs.

"Daryl," he yelled over the barking. She smiled, gesturing towards the kennels. He slowly started to walk down the row, looking at one side first. He was looking for a particular dog, the breed didn't matter to him, but he would know the dog when he saw it. The first row had maybe one prospect, but halfway up the second row he saw her. She was a pretty thing. A rust colored Doberman Pincer, curled up in the back corner, not barking, her head and ears down. She looked like she was on the skinny side. He waved Beth over.

"Do you want to take her into the yard?" she asked. Daryl nodded his head and watched as Beth slipped into the kennel and clipped a leash onto the Doberman and stroked her head. "Hey pretty girl, wanna go play?" The dog perked up a little bit and stood up on shaky legs and timidly followed Beth out. She led them through another door that led to a caged in area. She knelt beside the dog and looked up at him. "This is Candi, she came in last week. Her previous owners used to beat her and keep her locked in a cage." She frowned a little as she stroked the dog's head. "She's a sweetheart, no signs of aggression and she gets along with well kids and other dogs, cats not so much." She unclipped the leash and stood up.

Daryl knelt down in front of her and held his hand out for her to sniff. He and Beth both smiled when she licked his hand. He stroked her head gently and looked up at Beth. "How old is she?"

"A year, and she's house broken." She smiled and looked at Candi almost lovingly. "She's ready to go whenever someone wants her."

Daryl nodded his head and looked at the dog again. She was old enough that most families that came in wouldn't want her, not to mention her breed didn't have a great reputation. She was like him. He looked up at Beth. "Then she's going home today." He stood up and looked at her. "I want her."

Beth smiled but he didn't miss the sadness in her eyes. "Great. If you want I'll take your driver's license and star working on the paper work. You can stay out here and bond a little more?" Daryl nodded and handed over his card.

He sat down in the grass beside Candi and looked her over. She was going to need a bath when they got home, and good meal. "Don't worry baby girl, we'll fatten you up real good." He smirked a bit when she curled up beside him and rested her head on his leg. She was going to fit in perfectly with him. Beth came back with his license and some papers. "I just need you to sign these and she's all yours." Daryl took the papers from her, signing where he was meant to as he watched her. She knelt beside the dog and stroked her head, kissing her snout. "Gonna miss you sweet girl."

Daryl smiled a little. "He was always wary of people who worked at kennels. You could never tell if they cared or not. But watching Beth he knew she really did care. She was nearly crying. "Here," he said handing over the papers.

"Great. We will be out in about a week or so, just to make sure things are going okay, but after that we should be good to go." Daryl nodded his head and took the leash from her, leading Candi out to his truck.

…

"She looks great," Beth commented, watching Candi run around the back yard, chasing a ball Daryl kept throwing. She was glad he'd taken Candi, she was thriving with him. "How's she eating?"

"Like a horse," he grunted when the dog brought the ball back and jumped onto his chest. He took the ball from her and she barked, getting back down, wagging her tail, waiting for him to throw it again. Beth just smiled as she watched them. "Hey, I was wondering, if you want, Candi and I want to take you to dinner."

Beth looked up at him, a light blush coloring her face. "Really?"

He nodded his head. "There's this family diner down the road a bit. Miss Kay loves when I bring her in."

Beth smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'd like that."