Original Prompt: "Sooo is there a cute story behind how Beth and Daryl met in Tiny-Apartment verse?"

There was a long list of places Daryl Dixon would never have expected to find himself at and a daycare center was definitely on that list, although granted maybe not right at the top. Still, it wasn't exactly the sort of place he'd have any reason to be at; or at least it wouldn't have been a couple years ago, before he'd settled down and made friends with a sheriff of all people.

It had been Rick who'd offered him the room above his garage to stay at instead of a dingy motel room, and Rick who'd helped him get a job at the local auto shop, not to mention Rick who had pretty much ensured he didn't end up in jail like his big brother had. So it was the least he could do to take Rick and his wife Lori's little girl Judy to her daycare this morning, after Rick had gotten called into the police station early and Lori wasn't feeling well.

That was how he ended up walking up the sidewalk to a neat little brick building with his rough, work-worn hand curled around the tiny hand of a little blonde-haired toddler.

Friends with a cop, working a regular job, eating homemade breakfast every morning and walking hand in hand with a little girl in a pink dress and pigtails who wouldn't stop babbling on to her friend 'Da-wul'? Merle wouldn't have recognized him; that was, if Merle'd been around to see it and not off doing time for fucking up on a deal yet again.

Hell, to be honest he barely recognized himself as he scooped the little girl into his arms and tugged open the door to the small daycare center to carry her inside.

"Time to hang out with all your little friends, alright Judy?" But as he stepped through the door and into the large open room, the girl began to fuss and whine in his arms, her little face scrunching up as if she was working to a good cry. Frankly, he understood the feeling. The room was filled with kids, the din of their laughs and shrieks making him want to put the girl down just so he could cover his ears. That wasn't even taking into account his desire to flee just so he could avoid their sticky little hands.

Kids always had sticky fuckin' hands, and hell if he knew how they managed that.

But despite the tough guy he'd been all his damn life, he couldn't just abandon the little girl in his arms.

(She wasn't his, of course, but he still wasn't gonna be like his Ma and Pa. Wasn't gotten just leave her behind, act like what she was feeling didn't matter. He definitely wasn't even gonna think of slappin' her for fussin', like his Pa would have in a heartbeat.)

"C'mon, sugar. I know you're tired and y' miss your Ma droppin' you off, but it ain't so bad, is it? Look…" He turned her in his arms, pointing to the stuffed animals in the corner. "You could go, uhh… have a tea party or somethin', with those bears and dolls… shit, I don't even know if you like t' have tea parties."

(Fuck if he knew what normal, happy little kids did, let alone little girls.)

Daryl grunted, feeling like an idiot, but shifted Judith in his arms to look into her eyes after a second. "Alright, you know what I need? I need you t' just be brave for me, that's what. You can do that, right? Ain't you my lil' asskicker?" When Judith giggled, Daryl felt something inside of him untwist. Something warm, amused, happy.

But it was nothing compared to how he felt a moment later. First there was the uncomfortable surprise he felt when he heard someone clear their throat and suddenly realized that he wasn't alone; there was someone standing beside him who was definitely taller than the knee-high kids running around the place. And when he looked up and met the new arrival's eyes, it wasn't just like something untwisting inside of him. It was like his stomach swooped. Like he was ridin' that big old wooden rollercoaster down in Atlanta, the one he and Merle had gone to over a decade and a half ago.

Only he wasn't on no ride now, it wasn't no massive drop making his stomach feel like that. It was just a girl. Well… a woman. It was 'just' a tiny little blonde women with the biggest damn blue eyes he'd ever seen, and the sweetest little smile on her pretty pink lips and lord, he was pretty sure he'd never seen anyone like her before.

Maybe it was because he'd never come into a place like this before in his life.

(Or maybe she was just somethin' special.)

"Uh." He cleared his throat. "I guess there ain't much of a chance you didn't hear me call her that, is there?"

"No." She was honest; he liked that. He also liked the mirth that sparkled in her eyes as she rocked on her feet and teased, "But there's a good chance I can pretend I didn't anyway, since Miss Judy here doesn't seem to mind. Is that right, Judith?"

Instantly the toddler was all smiles and giggles, reaching her arms out to the blonde haired woman as she squealed, "Beth! Beth Beth Beth!"

With a chuckle, Daryl mock-grumbled, "Traitor…"

"Don't be too jealous, Judy and I just go way back. Isn't that right, sweet pea?" As Judith gave another giggle, Beth added, "I've been babysitting her since she was born, pretty much. And once I graduated and started working here officially, Lori signed her right up."

He opened his mouth to reply, but right on cue Judith began to squirm in his arms, suddenly eager to be set down as if she hadn't just been fussing herself up to a cry over being here barely a minute ago. "Alright alright, calm down…"

"Why don't you say goodbye to your friend, sweetie, and then he'll put you down, hm?"

Judging by the way Judy instantly turned to press a kiss to Daryl's cheek, he wasn't the only one who felt like he'd do just about anything to keep seeing a smile like the one on Beth's lips right now. "Bye bye, Da-wul! Down now! Down, down!"

"Okay okay, little- Er, Judy. Here you go." As soon as he set Judith down she was off, heading right to the opposite corner where a container of large Legos was spread out on the floor. His gaze lingered on her for a moment to make sure she was alright, before he glanced back at Beth.

Without the toddler in his arms, he felt suddenly out of place, rocking back on his scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "Uhh… I guess I better get goin' then…"

"You're Daryl, right?" When he raised an eyebrow at her, Beth went on, "Well I figured that's what she was calling you. I've heard Sheriff Grimes mention you once or twice, when he came by to pick up Judith and I put two and two together. You're staying with the Grimes for a bit, right?"

"Mhm." He wasn't gonna say more. He wouldn't have said more, if it were anyone else. Daryl tended to be of the opinion that his life weren't nobody's business but his own. Only Beth was looking at him with those cornflower blue eyes, every inch of her sweet and polite and friendly, and it just seemed easy to add, "They're good people."

"They really are. Judith is a little sweetheart, and Carl is too, even if he is still going through that whole…"

"Teenager stage?"

"I was going to say rebellious, but I think teenager covers it." Beth giggled, and despite himself Daryl laughed too, a low and rumbling chuckle that had Beth's smile widening a little bit more.

There was something about her that threw him all off kilter, made him unsure. Like he wanted to keep standing there just talking to her, only that was such an unfamiliar feeling that at the same time it made him want to turn tail and run. Which was probably why he darted another glance to the door, only to hear her murmur, "I'm sorry, you probably want to go to work. I shouldn't keep you. It was nice meeting you, Daryl."

"Uh huh…" He nodded and gave a little grunt. "You too, Beth."

Even as he turned towards the door he felt pulled in the other direction. Found himself wantin' to make an excuse to check on Judy or something, to stay here a little bit longer, give himself more time to figure out who the hell this woman was and why she made him feel so strange; so eager, so awkward, so unsure, all at the same time.

Maybe that was why he paused the moment he heard her voice behind him calling out, "Will I see you this afternoon, when it's time for Judy to go home?"

Because he was 100% sure Beth and the strange way she made him feel was exactly why he glanced over his shoulder without hesitating and replied, "Sure."

With a nod at the bright smile she gave him, Daryl headed out the door and back to his truck, trying to push that blonde-haired girl out of his mind at least for a few moments.

After all he had to try and figure out how to explain to Rick his sudden desire to pick Judy up from daycare tonight… and drop her off again tomorrow… and maybe the next day, too…