After their dance together, Daryl walked Beth back to the head table and offered to get her a drink. She said she only wanted a glass of water, and while Daryl was bemused by her request, he went to retrieve it for her.

The newlyweds had made their rounds, greeting all of their guests, before the DJ announced that the happy couple was leaving the reception. They rushed off to their getaway car, knowing it was Rick and Daryl who had covered their car with streamers and soda cans strung from the rear bumper. What Glenn and Maggie didn't know was that Rick and Daryl had hidden one more surprise – a jingle bell placed in the spare tire compartment. Now as everyone was waving their goodbyes, Beth stood near Daryl and was giggling up a storm. He had clued her in on their little prank. He certainly wasn't concerned that her laughter would give anything away; it seemed like she was in a cheery mood more often than not.

Daryl looked down at her and grinned. Her hair was starting to come loose from her up-do it had been set in for the wedding, the golden ringlets now framing her face. She met his gaze, and her smile took his breath away. He wanted to kiss her again, but knew he'd be pressing his luck. One quick peck while they were slow dancing was one thing, completely forgivable. For him to haul off and kiss her, surrounded by her friends and family? He scolded himself, knowing he wasn't that lucky, or that deserving; he forced his eyes away from her, back to the retreating taillights winding down the Greene's driveway.

Eventually the party came to a close. The guests drifted off, heading back home. Beth, Sasha, Daryl and Rick all went inside the house to change into their 'work clothes' as Hershel called them. "No sense in dirtying up your fancy party duds," he had said. Hershel and Annette supervised as the rest of the wedding party started taking down decorations, folding up chairs and tables, tearing everything down but the tent; the crew that had set it up would return the next day to collect it all.

They were finishing stacking chairs and tables near the driveway for the rental company to pick up in the morning. The six of them looked at the yard; aside from the still-standing tent and the trampled grass, they could hardly tell that a wedding and reception had taken place here just hours before. Hershel and Annette thanked them for their help and turned to go inside. Rick, Sasha, Daryl and Beth all hugged their goodbyes.

Rick and Sasha walked to their cars while Daryl hung back with Beth on the porch. He leaned against the porch railing as she made herself cozy on the porch swing. He was lost in himself as he watched her swing gently to and fro, her customary smile gracing her face and her eyes focused on the starry night sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" her voice cut through his thoughts, thoughts of him with the beautiful blonde sharing the porch with him.

He shook his head, trying to focus on the present, "What's that?"

"Everything about today. How nice everyone looked, the ceremony was beautiful, the weather couldn't have been more wonderful. The reception...everything was just...perfect."

Daryl nodded in agreement. In a tiny corner of his mind, he thought of the kiss they had shared, and added it to the list of things that made today perfect. He knew she was talking about things that made the day perfect for her sister and new brother-in-law, but he wasn't that selfless. And that, Dixon, is why you don't deserve her anyway, he thought to himself. Ya no-good, selfish redneck.

He felt his shoulders tensing, reprimanding himself once again, but still not able to tear his eyes away from her. She was beautiful...perfection. His heart lifted and sank simultaneously as he thought of her, thought of him being with her, knowing it was likely all in vain.

He didn't know how many minutes had ticked by when she suddenly stood up, turned and grabbed the old blanket that had been draped across the back of the porch swing, and walked across the porch. "I don't think I could go to sleep if I tried. I'm gonna go for a walk. Come with me?" Her words were a combination of command and request. She held her hand out to him, as he had done to her earlier that night to lead her to the dancefloor. He took her hand and followed her down the steps and along the driveway.

She led them down to one of the outer pastures, one that apparently hadn't been used for a while. Beth handed the blanket to Daryl, holding on to two of the corners. "Help me spread it out." He took the other two corners and they opened the large blanket and laid it on the ground. Daryl stood there, awkwardly, as Beth made herself comfortable by sitting on the cool fabric, pulling her knees up to her chest, and looked up at the night sky expanding above them. "I could just stare at them all night," she murmured. She looked up at him expectantly. "Well, aren't you gonna sit down?" she asked, patting the space on the quilt next to her.

Daryl wasn't sure what to do. His heart wanted nothing other than to get closer to her, but his mind was reminding him of all the ways this was so, so wrong. One more look at her, amidst the swirl of fireflies around her, her sweet face, lit up by the barely there moon, and he was pulled under her spell. He lowered himself slowly to the ground, still keeping his distance, but near enough to her that he could hear her sigh contentedly. He was torn again, not able to decide where to look: to the majestic night sky or the beautiful enchantress next to him. He figured the stars he could see anytime; he wasn't sure how many chances like this he'd be given to be so close to her.

"I love coming out here," she said, never looking away from the inky blackness dotted with shining beams of light. "It's so peaceful, coming out here, where I can just look up and I'm alone with my thoughts and can just...be, ya know?" She looked at him suddenly and hurried to add, a note of apology in her voice, "I mean, I'm happy you're with me." Her eyes widened in alarm, "I mean...not with me. I'm just glad you came with me. I...oh, geez, I sound like an idiot, don't I?" Her head sunk until her forehead rested on her knees.

Daryl chuckled. He was a little glad that he wasn't the only one who was nervous to be here, though he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. "It's okay. I get it. I've got a spot like this, too, where I like just...being."

"You do?" she looked up at him eagerly, glad to be spared of any part of her embarrassment.

"Yeah. There's a pond not far from my old man's house. I used to go there a lot to get away from...everything. Now I just go when I need to think. It's not as quiet as it is here. Lots more frogs," he added, grinning at her.

Beth smiled broadly at him. "It sounds really nice."

Daryl swallowed hard. He didn't want to mess this up, but he was already so far under her spell, he couldn't resist. "Wanna go some time? 'S'only fair...you showed me your spot, I oughta show you mi...OH hell!" he cut himself off, blushing furiously and staring at his shoes. "I'm so sorry, Beth, I didn't mean..."

She placed a calming hand on his shoulder, "Daryl. It's okay. I know what you meant." He chanced a peek at her and could see she was blushing through her reassuring smile, even in the pale moonlight. "You sure I wouldn't be intruding or anything?"

He waited for his heart rate to slow down before answering. "No. You wouldn't be intruding. I wouldn't mind havin' someone to share it with," he muttered before staring at his shoes again. Her hand left his shoulder, the cool night air instantly surrounding where her warmth had seeped through his skin. He heard her shift slightly on the blanket then felt her arm brush against his. He fought his natural reaction to tense up, instead enjoying the feel of her against him. Beth lowered her head to rest gently on his shoulder; he cautiously brought his arm back to cross behind her, feeling the heat from her tiny body.

She hummed softly, "This is nice." He looked down toward her at the same time she turned her head slightly to face him. Her lips were dangerously close – so close he could feel her breath against his own lips. He was mesmerized by her, feeling the full power of her enchantment. Not able to fight it anymore, he lowered his head and kissed her, longer than he had the last time, though not by much, all the while keeping the kiss chaste. He pulled back and sought her eyes, her reaction. He braced himself for her to pull away from him, to reject him, to laugh at him.

Instead she surprised him. After the briefest of moments, she reached up and sought his lips again, lingering against him. He felt her lips move against his, urging him on, and he happily complied, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. He brought his hand to cradle her along her jawline and allowed himself to taste at her soft pink lower lip. Her mouth opened slightly and the tips of their tongues met fleetingly before they both pulled away. He pressed one last, soft kiss to her lips before pulling back completely and gazed down at her.

Daryl let his breathing return to normal before attempting to speak again. "We oughta get you inside. It's pretty late."

Beth pouted slightly, "Just a little longer? I don't want to leave y...um...leave yet." Daryl raised an eyebrow at her stutter and grinned before nodding at her, bringing his arm to wrap closer around her, his hand resting on her hip. His thumb traced tiny circles just above her waist as she snuggled closer to him. "You know, Daryl, you can be pretty charming when you wanna be," Beth whispered. As their eyes met again, Daryl knew he was completely under her spell, and didn't want to do a damn thing to fight it.

So, apparently this second chapter of Lady in Red was all from Daryl's perspective anyway, which makes me want to re-write the original so it's all from Beth's POV to be consistent with the rest of that story.

Thanks for reading – please leave a review!