If you follow me on Tumblr, you're aware of what I've been going through in response to my writing and some comments that have been made. Thank you so much to those who were able to make me feel a little bit better. Some of you saw this chapter coming since this story began so i guess my stories are just becoming too formulaic and predictable. I don't know what to do about that.

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Chapter Thirteen.

"Hmmmm," Paulie says as she sits across from him at the table in the kitchen, reading the town newspaper that is printed only every Sunday and Wednesday.

It's a little paper, filled with the bit of news that happens in their quiet town and in the county and sometimes in Atlanta, too, if it pertains to any of them. A lot of it are announcements – school board meetings or town hall meetings or reminders to buy tickets for the high school musical. Birthday wishes, funerals, weddings and baptisms. Whatever protest is coming up in the Commons. When Beth had moved back to town, they ran a story on the front page about how she was taking over her pop's veterinary practice.

Paulie doesn't work at the diner on Sundays and in the mornings, she and Daryl sit at the table, eating breakfast and drinking coffee together and Paulie reads the paper and sometimes, Merle drops in for something to eat if he's able to wake himself up early enough to make it.

Daryl lifts his head from his plate, still chewing on his mouthful of French toast. Paulie's eyes are on the paper open in front of her and despite her tone, he doubts anything she's reading is that interesting. The story on the front page is about more people experiencing overturned garbage cans and it's either a few wild raccoons or a few wild kids doing it. Not exactly hard-hitting news.

But he decides to take the bait anyway. "Wha'?" He asks and Paulie gives him a look because he's talking with his mouth full but she seems to go against lecturing him right now. Instead, she leans forward and shakes out the paper, setting it down in front of him and then pointing to one of the little boxes on the ads page in the back of the paper.

It takes his eyes a second to focus on what she wants him to read and when he does read over the printed words, he can't help but frown a little.

Searching for Roommate! Male or Female. Someone to help with basic maintenance of a big, old farmhouse. Non-smoker preferred but not important. MUST LOVE ANIMALS! Please contact Beth Greene if interested.

"What the hell?" Daryl can't stop himself from muttering.

He reads the ad three more times, his scowl growing deeper each time. He then lifts his head to look at his mom, who's watching him.

"What the hell she doin'?" Daryl almost demands as if Paulie knew anything about this and will now have some sort of explanation.

Paulie just gives him that smile she sometimes gives her sons; when she thinks she knows something they don't, and in Paulie's mind, that is often. "Looks like the Doc is lookin' for a roommate," she states what he already knows before taking the newspaper back so she can finish reading it.

"What the hell for?" Daryl is almost growling now, still frowning, and he's not too sure why he's feeling a mixture of being upset and angry right now. So Beth is looking for a roommate. So what? That doesn't have anything to do with him.

And yet, he sits there and can't stop himself from still frowning. He has had no idea that she's been looking for a roommate. Of course, it's been more than a week since he last saw her. He's really had no reason to. She hasn't called him for anything and Louis has been fit and healthy so he hasn't had to take him to see her. And he hasn't really felt comfortable with just stopping by. She considers him a friend – and he considers the same about her – but he's not an idiot. Something's going on with her and she hasn't wanted to talk about it and instead, she has seemed almost uncomfortable around him all of a sudden so Daryl's respected what she's clearly been wanting even if she hasn't said it and he's stayed away.

It's probably because she's freaked out that he had been in her house in the middle of the night for some reason. When she had asked, he said that he had just been walking but he still doesn't know if she believes him or not.

"You think you might contact her?" Paulie asks, peering at him from over the top of the paper and he may not be able to see the lower part of her face but he can tell she's smiling.

"What the hell for?" Daryl asks again, still growling, still frowning and he doesn't know why he's reacting this way but whatever the reason is, he can't get himself to stop.

Without finishing the rest of his French toast, he gets up and scrapes it into Louis's bowl, the dog more than happy to help him eat his breakfast. Daryl then takes his plate to the sink to wash it off and load it into the dishwasher – a Christmas present from him and Merle to Paulie a couple of years earlier that she hadn't been able to return to the store.

He didn't know Beth is looking for a roommate and that's bothering him more than he understands. It shouldn't bother him at all. He and Doc are friends but what she does definitely isn't any business of his just like it's none of hers what he does; even though the town always seems privy to what should be his private business. If she wants to put an ad in the paper and get every single creepy ass guy in the area, panting after her and wanting to live with her, that's her problem.

"Daryl," Paulie says his name once he returns to the table with another cup of coffee and he sits down in his seat across from him. "How long are you goin' to be stayin' here?"

Daryl's entire body goes instantly tense as he stares at his mother.

And she is quick to shake her head. "Don't look at me like that. I love havin' you here. You know that. And this is your home as much as mine and you are welcome to stay forever."

"Then why am I gettin' the feelin' that you wan' me to get the hell out of here?" He frowns.

Paulie's frown matches his. "'cause you have a terrible habit of assumin' things. You've always done that." She exhales a deep breath. "I bring it up 'cause I know you, Daryl, and I know you ain't happy right now, bein' here."

"'course I ain't happy," Daryl grumbles but even as he says that, he's not too sure if that's actually the truth anymore.

It's been almost six weeks since he moved out of Amy's house and except for those annoying dreams at night, he now has reached a point where he's able to go through an entire day without thinking about her. He and Rick might not hang out as much anymore but he's got his brother and T-Dog and the Doc and her friends… The other day when Amy had come into the diner, Daryl had known she was in there. Even if everyone hadn't been frowning at something behind him, he would still be able to feel her presence nearby. But he hadn't even tensed up like he had still been doing just a couple of weeks earlier.

Someone might think that as him beginning to move on.

And Daryl might not find himself arguing with that.

"All I meant was that you're almost forty-years-old and I don't know too many forty-year-old men who still wanna be livin' at home with their mama," Paulie says. "Well, except Corey Creeker down the street but you know he ain't been right in the head since comin' back from California."

Daryl almost smirks at that but takes a sip of coffee instead. He feels Paulie's eyes on him but he turns his head and looks at Louis instead, still at his bowl, the French toast long gone but some of the maple syrup has dribbled onto his other food and he's crunching on his kibble. He turns his head and looks at Daryl, giving him a wag of his tail before diving his head back into his bowl once more.

"Was thinkin' of maybe lookin' into buildin' somethin' for myself," Daryl mutters, staring into his coffee almost as if saying the idea out loud is somehow embarrassing.

"Like your own house?" Paulie asks and Daryl lifts his eyes because he can hear her smiling and sure enough, she is. "I think that's an amazin' idea, Daryl. If anyone can build their own house, it's you. You can build anythin'.

Even a compliment from his mom makes the tips of his ears turn red and he lowers his eyes once more back down to his cup of coffee.

He has always had his mom loving him. There was Will, beating the shit out of her and him whenever he got the chance to, but there was also Paulie and after the beatings, she was there, crying and saying how sorry she was and tending to Daryl's cuts and bruises. He knows what love is because of his mom.

There have always been things that he's wanted to ask her. Why did she marry Will Dixon? Why did she stay with him? She's one of the toughest women Daryl knows but why did she stay and let that man beat up on them? But Daryl's never asked. Maybe he knows that Paulie won't give him answers. Or maybe, deep down, he's too scared to know the answers.

"Not gonna start buildin' it tomorrow," Daryl feels the need to tell her. "Need the money and permits and…" he trails off and shrugs. It does sound like a good idea. Building his own house, but there's a lot of time and money that goes into something like that and right now, he doesn't have too much of either.

After breakfast, Paulie stays in the kitchen to clean up. Sunday's her cleaning house day and she prefers Daryl and Louis to be somewhere else while she's doing it. So, Daryl grabs his crossbow and Louis begins jumping around him, knowing they're going hunting today.

"Any requests?" Daryl asks his mom before they leave.

"I've got some parsnips. You get me a rabbit, I'll roast everything up for dinner," she says.

Daryl nods and heads out the back door, Louis on his heels but then breaking into a run, pulling ahead, stopping every few feet to look back at Daryl and let out an eager bark as if to tell him to hurry the hell up.

On Sundays in the warm months, there is a little farmer's market set up in the Commons with farms from all over coming to set up their booths and sell their goods. And heading to the woods takes Daryl and Louis right through town. Louis is trotting ahead but he slows down, looking at all of the people in the park, and then he lets out a happy bark, tearing off across the street.

"Louis!" Daryl yells after him because that damn dog could get hit by car, just running into the street like that, but thankfully, not too many people are driving that morning and the dog reaches the park without any horns blaring or brakes screaming.

Daryl jogs after him, muttering colorful cruse words to call Louis now instead of his name, but he slows down when he sees where the dumb mutt has gone. Or rather, who he's gone to. And he's not surprised in the least to see the Doc. She is still wearing her dress from church earlier that morning – a pretty white dress with colorful flowers and it shows off her shoulders and hangs to her knees but still shows off plenty of leg – and her feet are bare, the heels she has taken off and carrying in her hand now on the ground beside her as she laughs and beams as she kneels in the warm grass to greet Louis in return.

It almost makes Daryl nervous when he thinks about how pretty the Doc is. He used to think Amy was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, but he has accepted that as not really being the truth anymore. Now that he's away from her, it's like his brain is able to think again. He knows there's more than a person's looks and with everything Amy's done to him, maybe that's why he's able to think she's not so pretty anymore.

Beth lifts her eyes when she sees Daryl coming to stand in front of her and she smiles when she does. "Hi!" She greets and she sounds happy to see him and it almost makes him want to ask her why she hasn't called him to the house in a week now if she is, in fact, happy to see him and hasn't been avoiding him.

He wants to ask why the hell she's looking for a roommate to help her with the house when that's what he's been doing.

But he doesn't ask her anything. Instead, he just grunts a "Hey," in response.

Beth kisses Louis' snout and she then gets back to her feet, taking her heels again, hanging them from her fingers in one hand and Daryl notices she has one of those nylon shopping sacks in her other.

"How are you?" She asks.

Daryl shrugs. "Same ol'," he answers, never taking his eyes from her. "How's the air-conditioner?" He then asks.

And her smile, if possible, seems to grow even wider. "Ah-mazing," she says almost with a giggle in her tone and Daryl's own lips feel like twitching in a smile. She spots the crossbow slung across his back. "You two off hunting?" She guesses.

Daryl nods. "Ma wants a rabbit to roast tonight for dinner." He then nods his head towards the bag in her hand. "Get anythin' good?" He asks and he realizes after a second that he's attempting to make small talk with her and he's not sure why.

He's never made small talk with anyone. Either he has something to say or he doesn't and he's never cared about carrying on a conversation or keeping the silence filled with chatter.

But he realizes something; something that confuses the hell out of him but something that's nonetheless the truth.

He's missed talking with her over the past week.

Beth keeps smiling. "Just a couple containers of strawberries. And I was heading to Jacqui's stand. She's selling her puff pastries today and I actually would get these insane cravings for those when I was away at school. So, I'm sure I'm going to be going Godzilla at her booth in a few minutes."

Again, Daryl nearly smiles at that.

"Haven't had one of those in a long time," he then hears himself say out loud.

"Would you like to join me? Or do you need to go after your rabbit?" Beth asks him.

Daryl looks at her for a moment as if he needs to think over his answer.

He gets the feeling that even if he doesn't go to the woods right now, he'll still be going after his rabbit.

And that thought both confuses him and scares him a little, too.

…

Jacqui is nearly sold out by the time he and Beth are able to buy one each of the remaining puffs she's got left. Like everyone in town knows that Paulie makes some of the best cakes, everyone also knows that Jacqui's puff pastries are on an entirely different level from anyone else who might make the attempt to make them. The only problem is that she doesn't make them that often and when she does, word seems to spread fast.

With their pastries, they slowly make their way through the rest of the booths, him pausing when Beth does to look over something someone else is selling. She winds up buying a small jar of rhubarb jam and a single sunflower in a painted pot, which Daryl takes a hold for her and she gives him that grateful smile of hers that he recognizes now.

Spending time with Beth like this, just hanging out – like he supposes two friends to – is just easy. There's nothing really to it. Just two people, two friends, hanging out. He's never been that comfortable around the opposite sex. Always too awkward and shy and he supposes that's part of why he was drawn to Amy. He never felt either of those things with her for some reason. And now, with Beth, he doesn't feel those things either. She asks him questions and he allows himself to answer before asking her questions in return and when he's with her, he just feels comfortable. And that's how it's supposed to be between friends.

Leaving the booths and other people, they then head across the grass towards the fountain and sit side by side along the edge. Some kids are splashing around in the fountain on the other side of the Stonewall Jackson statue and while it's not really permitted, kids do it all of the time and no one has ever really stopped them. Beth turns around and sinks her bare feet into the water, the goldfish hurrying away as she does.

Daryl lifts the fluffy, flaky pastry to his mouth and takes a bite, unable to help from moaning a little as he does. Beth giggles a little and then takes her own bite of hers, moaning as well.

"I know, technically, it's just butter and dough but it's just so darn good," Beth says and Daryl nods in agreement, ripping off a corner and tossing it to Louis, the dog begging at his feet and catching the offering in his mouth.

"So, why the hell you lookin' for a roommate?" Daryl then asks out of nowhere, surprising Beth and damn near startling himself with the abruptness of it.

Beth's head whips to look at him beside her but Daryl makes sure he keeps looking at Louis in front of him, begging for another bit of puff pastry. Daryl doesn't give him any though. He needs to watch him and all of the "people food" he's been giving him lately.

"You saw the ad then?" Beth guesses.

"My mom showed it to me this mornin'," Daryl says with a nod of his head and then, though he still really doesn't want to, he turns his head and looks at her. "Why you lookin' for a roommate?" He asks again.

Beth is quiet for a moment and then shrugs. "I'm lonely, I suppose. That house is so big and when Otis goes home at night, it's just me and it can get so quiet out there."

That sounds pretty perfect to him but Daryl knows the Doc's not like him. Not everyone likes being surrounded by nothing.

"And a house that big… it's a lot of work," she finishes.

Daryl frowns though he really doesn't mean to. "Thought I was helpin' you with that."

"You were," Beth quickly says as if to assure him. "I just felt bad, calling you with every little problem. I should be able to handle it without calling you. I normally don't depend on people like that and I…" she trails off then so he's not sure what else she wanted to say.

Daryl finishes his pastries in just a couple more bites and wipes his hands on the thighs of his jeans. "Got any calls?" He asks, looking back to her.

She's picking at her pastry, not eating it and no longer looking happy to have gotten one. She nods. "A couple of people have already, which surprised me because the ad just started running today and it's Sunday morning. I didn't like the sound of them though."

He wants to ask what she means by that, but Beth continues before he can.

"I don't know," she then sighs and she sets the rest of her pastry down beside her. Before Daryl can grab him, Louis goes and gobbles it up and as Daryl is frowning at him, Beth doesn't even seem to notice what the dog has done. "I have enough money. I don't have to sell the house or farm. I can keep it but maybe I can just buy a smaller house in town." She sighs heavily and spins back around, her feet and legs wet and she places her feet on the warm concrete. "I get so angry at Shawn when I stop and think about it. Maggie, I understand. She got married and Glenn's family is from Michigan and that's where they want to be. But Shawn, he's just gallivanting around and just expects me to take care of everything like I couldn't use help."

Daryl's not too sure what to say to that but he knows he probably should say something. He can tell her that he knows how that feels. He's younger, but he always feel as if he's always seeing to and handling a lot more because of Merle. It's been like that they're entire lives. He's never just been Merle's little brother. He's Merle's babysitter.

But Daryl doesn't say any of that – though he knows that he could and the Doc would understand. And even if she doesn't, if he tells her all of that, he knows that she'll listen. That's one thing about her that he doesn't remember with Amy. Amy had accused him of never listening to him but Daryl isn't too sure if Amy ever listened to him.

"If you wan'," Daryl says instead and his mind really only registers the words he's about to say seconds before he does but even then, his mind remains silent instead of screaming at him to stop before he can give the words a voice. It's almost as if his mind isn't completely against his idea. "I'll be your roommate."

…

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