Chapter Twenty-Four

"You doin' okay, girl?" Sam asked, Beth pressing the phone to her ear and sitting down on the front porch steps.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I had fun Friday, I'm still recoverin' though." Beth answered as she turned her camera over and over in her hands, turning it on and flipping through the pictures on her SD card. She adjusted the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder and sighed, setting the camera to the side and playing with the frayed hem of her old denim shorts. The pockets both front and back were wearing out, tiny holes growing bigger in the corners and causing random pocket change, for now, to fall out as she walked.

"You sound tired. How's your photography classes going? You haven't posted any new pictures to Facebook in the past few weeks."

"I can't find any inspiration for any pictures, Sam. Everythin' I do, I hate it. I delete it. I just have zero drive right now to do anythin' at all."

"Maybe you need some inspiration! How 'bout I model for ya, huh?"

"Couldn't hurt."

"Well, don't sound so excited."

"Sorry, Sam, I'm just tired." Beth heard Sam giggle and she smiled slightly at her friend, "Can you meet up today? Maybe I can get a few shots to turn in for next week."

"Sure, where at?"

"I can meet you at your house, and we can decide then, okay? I'm not too sure. And please make sure you have all of your outfits figured out before I get there. I know it's only ten in the mornin', but by the time I get there and you finish decidin', it'll be too late to do anythin'."

"Oh you're such a baby." Sam teased and Beth heard the squeaking of Sam's closet door and the shuffling of hangers across the metal pole.

"Alright, I'll see you in about an hour. Bye, chick."

"Bye, sweetie!" Beth stood and slid her phone in her pocket, rummaging through her dresser and grabbing a pair of blue jeans and a light pink sweater.

"Beth!" she heard Maggie call from downstairs, "Glenn's here, I'm leavin' with him! Anythin' you need before I go?!"

"Nah, I'm good! I'm on my way out as well!" she called back as she put in her small diamond studs her father had gotten for her sixteenth birthday.

"Okay, be safe!"

"You too!" she shouted in return as she put on the necklace Maggie had gotten her, grabbing her hair brush and running it through her silken locks. She quickly made two braids and let them rest over her shoulders, grabbing a white knitted hat and sliding it on. She snagged her camera and purse off of the bed and bounded down the stairs. The crisp, cool autumn air kissed her face when she made it outside and she smiled at the smoky smell of a distant wood fire. Pretty soon the fireplace in their living room would have a roaring fire almost every night, and she couldn't wait to settle down in the room with her family. She'd have a cup of coffee or her mama's hot chocolate, she'd sing with Maggie, or just have light and fun conversation with her family. And most Friday or Saturday evenings, the Grimes family would come for dinner and stay late into the night with them.

After double checking that the doors were locked she slid into the drivers seat in her car and cranked the old clunker to life. She pulled out of the driveway and soon found herself on the way to the neighboring small town where Sam lived. She hummed along with the music she had playing and adjusted her sunglasses on her face, turning the heat up a little to take the chill off. She took the back road around King County to avoid the busy weekday traffic in a small town that seemed to clog the roads. As she was singing she heard a strange sound coming from her car and was quick to shut the music off, cussing herself as she heard a hard tapping coming from the engine.

"Now what." she hissed and pulled off the road, shutting the car off and resting her forehead against the steering wheel. She groaned and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling of the car and closing her eyes. She reached down for her cell phone and sent Sam a text saying she'd be late. She sighed and tapped her iPhone against her steering wheel lightly and sighed.

Should she? Really, she didn't know anything about cars aside from how to put gas in them, and get from point A to point B.

She should have really paid attention to Shawn when he was trying to give her lessons. She let her thumb hover over the call button a few seconds before hitting send and placing the phone against her ear to find herself hanging up after only two rings.

"Chicken." she muttered to herself and took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking hands and counting to three. At three she hit call again and clenched her fists as she listened to the rings, one right after the other.

"S'Daryl, can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message." She heaved a heavy sigh and waited for the beep, clearing her throat softly.

"Hey...it's me...Beth...I uh, I'm havin' some car problems, and wanted to know if you knew how to fix 'em cuz' I'm stuck on the side of the road, so...maybe you could help...? If not, it's okay, I can call someone else, you were...jus' the first person I thought to go to...so...bye, I guess?" She hung up the phone and tossed it in the seat next to her, leaning against the steering wheel again.

"Idiot, you sounded like a stupid kid." she huffed before perking up at the sound of her phone vibrating. She glanced over and saw Daryl's picture on her screen with his number flashing. She reached over and snatched her phone up, gulping in a deep breath before answering.

"Hey." she murmured softly and was met with silence, "Daryl...?"

"Are you hurt?" His voice was soft, concerned.

"No...no I'm okay. I'm not hurt."

"Where are you?"

"I'm just before the old Lumber Mill, just outside of King's County where the railroad tracks are."

"I'll be right there, leavin' now."

"Daryl...thank you."

"Ain't nothin', Beth. Stay in your car."

Beth pulled her sleeves over her hands and crossed her arms over her chest to keep warm from the cold air, watching as Daryl leaned over the engine of her car. She stepped closer and leaned her hip against the cold metal as she tried to make sense of what was under her hood, mentally kicking herself again for not paying attention to her older brother.

"When's the last time you got an oil change?" he asked and reached up, scratching his goatee and looking over at her. Her diamond eyes moved from the engine to his stormy blue eyes and he felt a catch in his breath. She looked down again and sighed softly.

"Maggie was supposed to take it a while back, but I guess she forgot."

"You're outta oil. C'mon, I'll take ya to the store and get ya some more." he said after pulling out the dipstick and wiping it off on a shop rag he pulled out of his back pocket. He took a step back, slamming the hood down and wiping his hands off on his jeans after shoving the cloth back in his pocket, "Beth." He had turned around when he didn't hear her following him and saw her chewing her bottom lip as she looked at her feet.

"Yeah?"

"I ain't gonna let you sit here on the side of the road by yourself. C'mon, Greene. Grab your purse, or whatever you got and let's go." She opened the door and grabbed her purse and camera, following him to his truck and sliding into the passenger seat.

"You still takin' pictures?" he asked after he cranked the engine, nodding towards her camera before pulling out on to the road.

"Yeah, I'm getting a lot better at them. I was headed to my friend Sam's to take some pictures today until my car crapped out."

"Best give Maggie a good talkin' to for me." he said and Beth felt her stomach knot. She knew if he still lived with them, he'd be the one dogging Maggie for forgetting and almost ruining the engine of their car.

"Sure." she answered and fiddled with the camera in her hands as she watched the scenery go by outside of her window.

"I hope one day you can get yourself a better camera, I know it ain't the best, and it ain't professional, but it was better than a cell phone camera."

"I love this camera, Daryl." She answered softly and looked over at him, clutching the camera and almost cradling it to her body. He managed a small smirk and turned his attention back to the road, rubbing his hand against his bottom lip and playing with his goatee before cracking the window.

Everything felt so uncomfortable. Having Beth right next to him, in his truck, made him want to hurry and get this over with so they could part ways. When he had heard his phone ringing and saw the caller ID, it took everything he had not to answer the phone. But then she had to go and leave a damn voicemail and make him feel sorry for her knowing she was stuck on the side of the road. He knew he'd never leave her sitting there, stuck in her car, in the cold. Sure she would have called someone else, but then he couldn't have been sure about that and he knew she would have tried to walk somewhere to get assistance. Stubborn, bull headed girl.

"Pot callin' the kettle black there, Dixon."

"Thank you." she whispered softly before returning her attention to her window.

"You're welcome, Beth."

"So, he came to your rescue?" Sam asked as she moved to sit on the banister of her front porch, smoothing out her dress and making sure it rested just perfectly along her legs.

"I was surprised, honestly." Beth said as she adjusted the camera and tripod, then the lens as she pointed it towards Sam, "I didn't expect him to answer, especially since I was such a lovely wreck at the bar when I saw him."

"I'm tellin' ya girl, you and that man have somethin' special." she said and stopped talking to pose for Beth, hearing the shutter close and open again

"Whatdya mean?" Beth asked as Sam jumped off of the banister and straightened out her knee length white lace dress and dusting off her cowboy boots.

"You two keep crossin' paths somehow. I think God's tryna tell ya somethin'." her friend answered as she came down the brick steps and walked with Beth out towards her family's pond. A lone swing hung from the large weeping willow next to the pond and Sam hurried to it.

"Well, if he is, he ain't getting through to Daryl too well." Beth said and looked up at the sky that was slowly bleeding into a sunset, "Let's hurry this up, I'm sure you're freezin'!"

"Think you can photoshop out my goosebumps!" Sam called from the swing as Beth set her tripod back up and placed the camera on it.

"Sure thing!" she called back and saw Sam smile as she settled down on the swing. A light breeze blew through, rippling the surface of the pond and making the fallen leaves on it's surface rock gently, "Sam! Toss some of those wildflower blooms out on the pond surface with the leaves!"

"Gotcha!" She waited for Sam to get settled again, looking through the viewfinder again and smiling at her view.

"Perfect." she whispered and waited for Sam to strike a pose, "Alright! I wanna zoom in a little and get more of a closeup! Keep it natural!" she shouted just before she felt her pocket vibrating.

"You're late." Merle said and Daryl shrugged as he pulled a cigarette out and placed it between his lips, "You alright?"

"M'fine. Tired is all."

"You always tired, lil' brother. We're all goin' out tonight to get drinks if you wanna go with us."

"I think I'm jus' gonna stay in and call it a night. Jus' want sleep."

"Alright, but if ya change yer mind, I'll be at The Cherokee Rose. Night, Darlina."

"Night, asshole." he said and watched Merle mount his motorcycle, the engine roaring the life and headlight flicking on. He watched his brother pull out of the driveway and leaned against the wall of the old worn out house. He looked up at the sky, the sunset turning it multiple shades of reds, golds, and oranges. He closed his eyes and saw her face, her big, bright blue eyes that froze him in his tracks.

He pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open and pressing it to his ear. He heard the ringing and took a long, hard drag from his cigarette to calm himself.

"Hello?"

"Hey...Greene."

"Daryl?"

"Meet me tonight." he said and was met with silence on the other end, "Beth."

"Is everythin' okay?"

"Jus' meet me tonight. In The Cherokee Rose parking lot. I'll be there in about half an hour. Please, Greene?"

"Okay...I'll see you then." she answered after a few seconds of silence. He felt a weight lift off of his chest and ran his fingers through his hair as he felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.