Daryl looked up from his desk, hearing Rick and Shane retuning from their lunch break.
Walking straight in to the building they appeared deep in conversation, Shane doing most of the talking, his face screwed up as he spoke passionately into Rick's ear. Daryl turned away he didn't care much what they were talking about. It was probably nothing that would interest him.
"Afternoon," Rick said to Daryl, as he walked past Daryl's desk and into his office followed closely by Shane still, who gave Daryl a quick nod of the head in acknowledgement as he continued to talk to Rick.
Daryl grunted something in response, before his head was down again, he wasn't one for small talk. He didn't mind talking to Rick if he was on his own that was. If it it wasn't work related it was normally something that revolved around their mutual interest in hunting and fishing.
Shane, on the other hand, Daryl tried to avoid getting into conversations with unless it was absolutely necessary. It wasn't that he outright disliked the other deputy sheriff, he just found him a little arrogant and boastful. He always seemed to think he knew better than everyone else, and if he was honest, Daryl didn't exactly trust him. He knew Shane had had his eye on Rick's job for some time now and Daryl wouldn't put it past Shane to stab Rick in the back, given half the chance.
But Daryl reminded himself he wasn't here to be bothering himself with things like that as he turned back to scanning some reports on his desk he had printed off earlier. He frowned, trying to focus and drown out the sound of Shane talking still.
Rick had left his office door open a jar, and Daryl heard his phone ringing, interrupting his conversation with Shane as Rick picked it up and started speaking quickly. Daryl couldn't make out a lot of what he was saying, but he could tell from Rick's tone it was serious. He took a swig from the bottle of water by his side, pushing his hair to one side and away from his face, wondering what it could be.
After a few more minutes, Daryl heard Rick and Shane talking again, before the door to Rick's office flung fully open.
"Daryl, you got a sec?" Rick asked, poking his head around the door, his eyes serious.
"Sure," Daryl replied, standing up immediately.
…
Rick gestured for Daryl to take a seat beside Shane in his office.
Daryl sat down silently, his eyes on Rick in anticipation of what he was about to say.
Rick remained standing, perching on the edge of his desk.
"We got a situation," Rick announced, his arms folded, his face looking stressed.
Daryl continued to fix Rick with his full attention, but he noticed out of the corner of his eye, Shane was shaking his head and looking down at his boots.
"A girl has gone missing," Rick explained.
Daryl suddenly felt his heart rate spike. "Go on," he said slowly.
"Lizzie Samuels. I've just had her sister on the phone," Rick explained further.
"This is a joke, that girl goes missing every other month, she's crazy everyone knows that," Shane interrupted loudly.
"That's as may be, but when I get a teenage girl on the phone, telling me her sister hasn't been seen for days, I gotta take it seriously," Rick stated, raising his voice, his pale blue eyes flashing at Shane.
Shane fell silent, looking away and shaking his head some more.
"They live up near the woods, you okay to go up there? Speak to the sister get her to give a full statement. The Father is pretty sick by all accounts," Rick said, looking to Daryl, who nodded in agreement.
"Enough to make anyone sick, with a kid like that," Shane muttered under his breath.
"Take a look around up there, see what you can find, knock on a few doors see if anyone saw anything. Hershel Greene owns most of the land up that way, I'm sure he would be happy for you to search the area," Rick continued, ignoring Shane, and addressing Daryl still.
"Sure," Daryl responded, standing up.
"I would send Tara with you, but I need her on something else," Rick added, standing up too, following Daryl out of the office.
"I'll be fine on my own," Daryl said in a low voice. He liked the new trainee deputy Tara, but she talked a lot, and sometimes Daryl thought it was nice to just have some peace and quiet.
….
"You get a chance to look at those photos?' Daryl suddenly asked Rick quietly, pausing at the door as Shane passed him.
Rick's face looked blank.
"I dropped them off with your babysitter the other night," Daryl went on to say.
"Who Beth?" Rick queried.
"Yeah Beth," Daryl mumbled in a low voice. Trying to pretend he hadn't been aware of exactly what the hot young blonde that had answered the door to him that night had been called. He swallowed, remembering the recent occasion he had changed the same girl's tire for her too. How that night there had been something about her, despite the obvious, that had made him want to make sure she was okay.
He looked down at his shoes, before re-focusing on the matter at hand, looking back to Rick. Daryl had been out hunting deep into the woods on more than one occasion recently when he had come across several dead animals, mainly deer, that appeared to have been ripped apart in the most crazed and savage way. In a way no animal native to this area that he was aware of, would be capable of.
Daryl had been hunting all his life and he knew there was something very disturbing and potentially worrying about this. He had reported it to Rick, who had requested Daryl bring him photographic evidence, before he issued warnings or investigated further.
"Yeah, yeah, I looked at them," Rick said, a look of recollection appearing on his face.
Daryl looked at his boss awaiting his further response.
"I don't know, Daryl, looks like it could have just been a coyote or something. No need to start panicking people unnecessarily," Rick said, to Daryl's disappointment.
...
After a hostile few encounters with some rural properties, Daryl took a moment to compose himself, glancing out at the beautiful swirls of red and orange on the horizon. Sunset had always been his favourite time of day and out here on the outskirts of the small town he had grown up in, surrounded by fields and natural land as far as the eye could see it was breath taking.
He pushed his dark glasses up tightly to the bridge of his nose and turned to knock firmly on the front door of the Greene farm.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he braced himself. This was the last property in the area he was calling on. Judging by the frosty reception he had received at the others, he wasn't holding out much hope he would receive a warm welcome here either. Although he had sensed immediately the energy was a little different here, and something told him this call could be a little different too. He hadn't forgotten this was also where Beth Greene lived.
"Can I help you deputy?" Hershel Greene asked, opening the door with a stern but not entirely un-friendly look on his face.
"Sorry to bother you sir, but a young girl's gone missing in the area, wondered whether you could take a few minutes to answer a few questions about whether you may have seen anything of interest around your property?" Daryl asked in his deep southern drawl.
"Who?" Hershel asked immediately, his steely blue eyes looking out from his wrinkled face, showed sudden and deep concern.
"Lizzie Sammuels," Daryl answered.
"Thought as much, poor Ryan Sammuels," the white haired men responded, shaking his head, making reference to the missing girl's father.
Daryl waited for him to then launch in to a rant about how Lizzie Sammuels was crazy anyway, and that her running away was nothing new. Like most of the other people Daryl had spoken to up here had.
Instead though, Hershel Greene let out a long sigh, shaking his head.
"You think you might have seen anything out of the ordinary around here recently?" Daryl questioned.
"I don't spend that much time outside the farm these days, the best person to speak to about that would be my youngest daughter, she's out a lot on her pony," Hershel said, his eyes still serious.
"She's just on her way out to meet some friends, but I'm sure she'd be happy to help you if she can," he added.
Daryl nodded. Pretty sure he knew who the older man's youngest daughter was.
"You'd better come in," Hershel said, holding the door open and stepping back.
"Thanks," Daryl replied, removing his sunglasses and walking across the threshold and in to the Greene family home. Waiting in the hallway.
"Bethy," Hershel shouted out, up the stairs.
"What is it Daddy?" A young female voice said after a brief wait. It was a voice Daryl was coming to recognise. A voice that created a strange unfamiliar sensation in him.
"There is a sheriff's deputy here, wondered if he could ask you a few questions?" Hershel explained.
"Oh okay," Beth replied politely, "I'll be down in a sec."
Daryl couldn't help but think about the way he or his brother would have reacted to a law enforcement office turning up on their doorstep wanting to ask them questions back when they had been her age. It certainly wouldn't have been anything like Beth's initial reaction here.
"Like to wait through here," Hershel said, gesturing for Daryl to go through to the room to his right.
"Can I get you something to drink?" He asked.
"Nah, I'm good, thanks," Daryl replied, looking around at the big homely living room. He couldn't imagine ever living anywhere like this.
Hershel nodded, "She won't be long," he said, walking out the room, leaving Daryl alone.
Daryl couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. He wasn't used to people being civil to him. Half the town despised him for selling out, for turning to the dark side as they saw it and becoming a man of the law. The other half looked down on him for being a Dixon, thinking no son of Will Dixon had the right to be wearing a deputy badge.
There was no such judgement from Hershel Greene though. Although not overly friendly, the ageing vet treated Daryl with the same respect Daryl presumed he would treat Rick, Shane or anyone else with.
Remaining standing, his eyes scanned the room. There were some framed photographs placed on the mantle piece. One was of a young Beth smiling with her older siblings. There were several of the Greene children at various different stages in their lives, mainly Beth and Maggie. Daryl's eyes darted across them. Then his heart sank a little as he saw a picture of an older blonde woman, she had the same big blue smiling eyes as Beth. It was her mother.
Daryl remembered what had happened. It was years ago now, but it had been the worst storm for decades, everyone had heard about poor Hershel Greene and how it had killed his wife and son.
He tensed, hearing the sound of someone approaching he looked over to the door to see Beth walking into the room to join him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, flashing him a shy smile.
She had more make-up on than the last time he had seen her. She was wearing a short black dress with heels, and her long shiny blonde hair, normally tied back whenever he saw her, was falling down around her shoulders in loose waves. She looked stunning. So stunning, it left him speechless for a second.
"My Dad said you had some questions?" She prompted, looking a little confused.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, his voice low.
Her bright blue eyes widened in anticipation.
"You know Lizzie Sammuels?" he asked.
"Lizzie? Yeah, I know her. But not well, she was a few years younger than me at high school. Is she okay?" Beth questioned, looking concerned.
"She's been reported missing," Daryl replied.
"Oh, I see," Beth responded. A look of pity but not complete surprise, crossed her pretty features. The same look Daryl had seen that day on pretty much everyone's face, after hearing Lizzie Sammuels had gone missing again.
But despite what people thought, Daryl knew this was different. He knew enough to know the difference between a teenage runaway and something more sinister. He had spoken to Lizzie's younger sister Mica at length earlier. Mica was wise beyond her years, she knew not to trouble people unless she had real valid concerns. Her sister would take off frequently, but she would always leave her a note, usually pack a bag and never ever would she leave without the watch their mother had bought her for her birthday before she had died. Something was wrong.
"When was the last time you saw her?" Daryl asked Beth, his eyes peering at her through his long hair.
"Not for a while," Beth replied, staring back at him.
"She have any friends, a boyfriend that you know of?" He asked, still looking straight at her.
Beth shook her head, causing her hair to slide from side to side.
"Lizzie didn't have many friends at school, she kind of kept herself to herself. People used to say she was weird, that she was into weird stuff…" she trailed off.
"I hope she's okay," she added, putting her hand up to her mouth.
"Yeah, so do I," Daryl said a little gruffly.
The room fell silent.
Beth looked away deep in thought, before she wrinkled her brow, glancing back in Daryl's direction as thought a light had been switched on in her head.
"Wait, I do remember seeing her now. It wasn't long after I got back. I was out riding Ruby, my pony, when I saw her sat down by the stream not far from here. I asked her if she was okay, but she didn't really respond. Then when I came back she was still there but there was a guy with her."
"You get a look at him?" Daryl questioned immediately.
"He was about late twenties, dark hair, wearing jeans and a baseball cap, sorry I can't remember any more," Beth said apologetically.
'S'okay, that's very helpful," he replied.
"You think you could come down to our offices, make a statement when you get the time?" he asked.
"Of course, I can stop by on my lunch break," she answered with a small smile.
"Sorry I couldn't be of any more help," she apologised again.
"You've been very helpful, Miss Greene, I won't take up any more of your time," Daryl said, suddenly feeling a little awkward, remembering how he had felt the other night when he had fixed her car up for her.
"But, if you remember anything else, please give me a call," he added, handing her his card.
He moved to the door, waiting for her to go through first.
"I will…..And, it's Beth," she said, looking at him through her long eyelashes, giving him another shy smile.
…..
"How's that tire holding up? Daryl asked, as they walked to the front door.
"Oh, it's fine thanks," Beth answered, pausing as they heard a door shutting and the sound of her father whistling.
"Please, don't mention anything to my Dad about that," she quickly said in a hushed tone.
Before Daryl had the chance to respond, Hershel Greene appeared again.
"You all done here?" He asked, looking to Daryl.
"Yes thanks, sir. Your daughter was very helpful," Daryl responded, his eyes flicking to where Beth was stood next to her father.
Hershel nodded, smiling briefly for the first time that evening as he patted his daughter on the shoulder, "Always is," he said.
"I best be off now too," Beth said looking to her father.
"If you're heading in to town I can give you a ride if you like?" Daryl said, taking himself by surprise. It wasn't the kind of thing he would normally say to someone.
He could tell he had taken Beth by surprise too, from the look forming in her blinking blue eyes, "I - uh," she stammered, looking to her father.
"Would make sense, Bethy, save you having to drive that tired old vehicle of your own around after dark. I could have Glenn or Maggie stop by and pick you up later," Hershel said, his eyes resting on his daughter's face.
Daryl couldn't help but feel a little grateful to the old man. Deputy badge or not, there weren't many men in their small town that would be willing to trust him with their daughters.
"Well, if you're sure, Deputy Dixon," Beth said, a little blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Daddy doesn't like me driving around late at night," she explained, looking back to her father and away from Daryl.
"Don't trust that run down car of your's, that's all, I've offered to get her a new one," Hershel said looking back to Daryl.
Daryl nodded his head.
"There is nothing wrong with the one I've got," Beth said, rolling her eyes.
"We'll see about that," Hershel added with a smile, opening the front door to see them off.
...
"Thanks, for not mentioning anything to my Dad about the car," Beth said a little hesitantly, as they walked up to Daryl's car.
"No problem, he's right though," Daryl said, slipping his dark glasses back on. "Shouldn't be driving around in a car that's not safe, especially at the moment," he mumbled, holding the door open for her.
She didn't get in straight away, instead she chewed down on her lower lip, "You really think something bad has happened to Lizzie?" She asked a little shakily, meeting his gaze full on.
He hesitated, his hand on the car door still, drinking in the sight of her stood in front of him, her long blonde hair shining in the early evening sun, her pretty blue eyes wide and inquisitive.
"When a girl goes missing like that, it rarely means anything good," he eventually said. Not wanting to alarm her too much, but wanting to say enough to make her realise she needed to take extra care too.
This time Beth nodded silently, and she slid into the passenger seat, giving Daryl a waft of her sweet perfume as she passed him.
…..
"So…" Daryl said, a hand resting easily atop the steering wheel while he looked over at Beth in the passenger seat of his patrol car. Conversation didn't come easily to him and he was a little lost for words. He wasn't used to having people in the front of his car that weren't his work colleagues. Beth was staring wide eyed out of her opened window, a gentle breeze from it fluttering the edges of her long hair, she looked perfect. "Where to?" he asked, in a low grumbling voice, eyeing her through his hair.
She glanced back at him, her eyes sparkling and blue, "Bob's bar, but anywhere near there would be fine," she replied.
"Might have guessed," he remarked, smirking a little.
"What?" She asked, her eyes flashing curiously.
"Just wouldn't have expected you to say anywhere else, thats where all the kids seem to hang out these days," he said, his eyes staring ahead now.
"I'm not a kid," she protested, rolling her eyes with a flirty smile, "And besides, I expect you've spent your fair share of time in there too, Deputy Dixon," she added, arching a brow.
"Might have done," he mumbled, chuckling lightly, his eyes settling on the road.
He had known Bob Stookey since they were small, he remembered the days when his father Robbie Stookey had run the bar. He and Merle had gotten in to their fair share of bar brawls in there over the years too, normally Daryl leaping to Merle's defence when he had mouthed off too much. Not any more though, these days when he wasn't working Daryl seemed to prefer his own company to drinking in public, he was rarely seen in Bob's now,
"You meeting your boyfriend?" he asked casually, his eyes sliding back over to the pretty blonde next to him. He told himself he was just enquiring after her safety. Whether there would be someone around to look out for her, seeing as they had a potential psychopath on the loose.
"Oh, no, I don't have a boyfriend," she replied blushing, her lips curling up in to a small smile, as she ran her finger tips through the edges of her hair.
Daryl nodded, adverting his gaze back to the road again feeling a knot in his stomach, and the faintest of smiles formed on his lips too. It was really none of his business, he shouldn't care, but he did.
He'd noticed Beth Greene the minute she had appeared around the town a few weeks back and he'd discovered she was one of Hershel Greene's daughters, back from some fancy university. He'd thought she was gorgeous, but he'd presumed she would be just like all the other college bitches he had come across in his time -spoiled, pretty rich girls, bitchy and entitled, unwilling to give the likes of him the time of day, well screw them!
So, like he did most people, he had avoided Beth. Until the night he had briefly run in to her when she had been babysitting at Rick's.
Something weird had happened then, he hadn't spoken to her for long, but it had been long enough for him to realise she was different. Worth talking to. From that moment on, something about her had gotten under his skin. And despite trying to push her out of his mind, they just seemed to keep meeting under bizarre coincidences.
….
They drove on in silence for a while.
Daryl put his hand up to his chin to lightly stroke his stubble, trying to think of something else to say he noticed she was singing along to a song playing in the background on the radio. He normally hated anyone singing, but her voice was soft and delicate, like warm summer rain and he kinda liked it.
He couldn't help it, he looked over at her again and smirked.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I love to sing. It's an annoying habit I've got," she mumbled.
"Aint annoying….well maybe a bit," he teased, raising his eyebrows.
She shook her head playfully, laughing.
She had a sense of humour, Daryl thought, as he let out a laugh too, was more than most women he knew did.
The car fell silent again, and Beth let out a small sigh, winding down the window a little more she allowed the fresh early evening air to cool her face as they drove through the quiet pretty green roads, alive with all the signs of mid summer.
"I can put the air con on if you want?" he mumbled.
"Oh, no, I prefer to get some real air," she replied. "I always forget how clean the air is back here, you take it for advantage when you live here all year round," she added.
Daryl nodded in agreement, "You back for long?" he asked.
"For the summer. Then I need to start looking for an internship. Probably need to move back to Atlanta, there aren't many nursing positions around here," Beth answered. She bit her lip, thoughtful for a moment.
"You studying nursing?" he asked, a little surprised.
Daryl wasn't sure why he was surprised to hear she had been studying nursing. He guessed he had just presumed she would have been studying something more along the lines of art or marketing or media studies. But nursing actually suited her, and as far as he was concerned was far more valuable than any of those other things.
"Yeah," she replied, her eyes sliding over to meet his. "I wanted to be a vet like my Dad and sister, but I didn't get the grades. Guess, I just aint as smart as them…." she sighed.
"You got the looks," Daryl remarked.
He could have kicked himself for saying that, as soon as he saw her beautiful face drop and she looked away from him. He hadn't said it to be a dick, he had been trying to be nice, but it had all come out wrong. He had no game with women and he knew it.
"You know what I mean," he quickly added, "I'm not trying to say you're not smart, I mean you must be smart, you went to college and all, I never went to college," he mumbled clumsily.
"It's okay," she said looking back in his direction. "You just must have never seen my sister that's all," she said with a little laugh, her eyes sparking again. Maggie had always been the hot one, the one that stood out.
Daryl shrugged.
He had seen Maggie Greene, more times than he had seen Beth. Maggie was attractive enough, but she wasn't the type to catch his eye. She always seemed on the defence and had a look as though she could bust any mans balls if they didn't look at her right.
He was about to say something else, when his personal cell phone suddenly went off from where it was placed on his dashboard. He glanced down at it, to see it was Carol Peletier. He frowned, he'd have to call her back.
He'd become friends with the lonely housewife, when he had attended a call from her neighbour reporting domestic abuse at her place. He had known as soon as he had shown up there, her scumbag of a husband had been beating her black and blue, but like most women in her situation she'd covered for him. Daryl had wanted to beat the shit out of Ed Peletier, but he knew that wouldn't have solved anything. So, instead he had given Carol his number and said no matter what time it was, to call him if she ever needed anything.
Silencing the call, he sensed Beth's eyes studying him. But she didn't say anything as they approached the town.
"Here," he said, pulling up outside Bob's bar.
"Thanks," Beth said, undoing her seatbelt.
"No problem," he responded.
Watching her, he couldn't help himself, he checked her out. Her short black dress was riding up her thighs as she climbed out, exposing her long and toned, lightly tanned legs. He looked away, feeling like a pervert as he couldn't help but imagine further what she looked like underneath her dress. Causing a heat to spread up his body. He cleared his throat and looked back in her direction, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
He wasn't like Shane, he didn't use this job to hit on women, and he didn't have the restraints of a wife and kid at home either like Shane did. It just wasn't his thing.
"Thanks again, Deputy Dixon," Beth said sweetly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Daryl," he mumbled roughly.
Her eyes lit up as he said that, and she responded with a grin, "Thanks Daryl, and thanks again for fixing my car and for not saying anything to my Dad…I feel as though I haven't even thanked you properly for that, I should buy you a beer or something," she said, twisting her hands together.
"No need for that," he muttered, "Just be safe," he added.
He flicked his hair away from his eyes, as he watched her flash him one last bright smile, before she wandered off and into the bar, and an uneasy feeling hit him, if he had the time he would have made sure to patrol the area and keep an eye over the goings on around the bar, something wasn't right.
But, he knew he would have to head over to Carol's place right now, and then he would be out combing the woods with a flash-light for any signs of what could have happened to Lizzie Samuels.
He sighed, unable to shake thoughts of Beth Greene out of his head as he drove steadily away from where he had just dropped her off. The smell of her sweet and musky perfume still lingering in his car. When his radio buzzed.
"Dixon," it was Rick, "You copy?"
"Yeah, I copy," Daryl said.
"We got a body," Rick's voice said loud and clear.
...
A/N - Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone following my story so far. I am trying out something a little different here, so would love to hear a review! (Oh and I didn't mean to make Shane such a jerk here, it just kind of wrote itself!)