You are all wonderful. I love how this chapter turned out and I hope you like it, too!

…

Chapter Fourteen.

Beth laughs as Louis jumps around her feet as she carries two more bags from the truck into the house and she wonders how it's possible for one dog to be as happy as Louis always seems to be. When she had made the comment to Daryl the day before, he had just shrugged and said that Louis likes her and the farm and he has no reason to not be happy.

When Daryl had made the suggestion of being roommates, she had been too stunned to speak for a moment and then, finally, she was able to ask him if she could think about it? Daryl had been expecting that and hadn't looked surprised and when he and Louis left to go hunting for the rabbit that Paulie wanted for dinner, Beth was quick to call Maggie.

"Do you think Shawn will be angry?" Beth asked after explaining the situation to her sister.

"Who the hell cares if he'll be angry?" Maggie was quick to reply back. "He left home and has stayed away this whole time. If he ever comes back to visit, show him the attic."

Beth had smiled at that. That's one of the reasons why she loves Maggie so much. Beth supposes that she's always been the "good girl" in the family. The one who went to church each week and obeyed her parents and never even dreamed about breaking curfew. And she's always been kind and polite and mindful of being too rude. And Maggie has never cared about being any of those things and has always spoken whatever is on her mind. And Beth has both admired her and be envious of her over the years because of it.

Daryl had moved in two days later, into Shawn's bedroom. Beth had spent the day before removing anything personal so nothing remained except the furniture, packing it into boxes and storing it upstairs in the attic, and she had cleaned it from top to bottom. She is nervous and excited to be having Daryl Dixon now living her. Nervous because it is Daryl Dixon and excited because it is Daryl Dixon.

"Need some help?"

Beth nearly jumps at the voice from behind her and she spins around to see that it's Daryl. Who else would it be? She's at the island in the middle of the kitchen, where she has deposited the shopping bags, and Daryl has been down in the basement, his hands wiping on a red bandana that he always seems to have on him.

"Sorry," she then laughs a little, feeling a little out of breath. "Still getting used to someone being in here with me."

Daryl doesn't say anything to that but his lips are doing that thing and it looks like he wants to smile but he's always able to stop himself before he can. She doesn't know why but it's so important that this man in front of her smiles – more specifically, smiles at her.

But before those thoughts can get away from her, she quickly reigns herself back in. She likes Daryl. Her crush for him seems to grow the more she sees him but she doesn't want to turn into a giggly idiot. She's a doctor for goodness' sakes. She's a grown woman and she refuses to fall all over herself just because a handsome man whom she likes is now sharing her home.

"Need some help?" He asks her again.

"Oh! Yes, please. I just have a few more," Beth answers quickly and heads out the back door once more, Louis still on her heels. She wonders if Daryl minds.

Everyone in town knows that Daryl and Louis are pretty much inseparable. The dog is even allowed in the bar and diner and stores around town because they all know that where Daryl goes, Louis goes, too. Beth wonders if it bothers the man now that his dog seems to be spending as much time with her as he usually spends with Daryl. If it does bother Daryl, the man doesn't act like it or try to get Louis to stay away from her. She tries not to let it bother her that Daryl is completely unreadable. Some people keep themselves guarded; he certainly isn't the only person in the world to keep himself closed off from others.

"You havin' a party?" Daryl asks as they come upon her truck and he sees the plastic bags in the back bed, filled with all sorts of red, white and blue decorations for the holiday tomorrow as well as a few bags filled with food.

"Kind of. Just Spencer and Rosita," Beth says as she grabs two bags and Daryl is able to grab the remaining four before they head back into the house. "Just having a cook-out and then we're going to watch the fireworks by the pond. We get a great view of the town's fireworks." She sets her bags down and Daryl sets his down next to hers. "What are you going to be doing tomorrow? You're more than welcome to hang out here with us."

She makes the offer, but she really doesn't expect him to accept it. He has his mom and brother and he has other friends that probably do their own things on the Fourth of July.

"My ma doesn't like Fourth of July. She usually just stays inside and does her best to block out the fireworks," Daryl answers, stepping back as Beth begins to unload the bags. "And Merle goes to Joe's just like he does every other night. On the Fourth of July, Joe always sells anythin' that's red, blue and clear at half off so everyone gets shit faced pretty fast and shoot off fireworks behind the bar. And Rick and Lori are takin' Jude out of town so they don't have to listen to fireworks, Shane's workin' and T's got his own family barbecue."

"So…" Beth looks at him for a moment, trying not to get her hopes up. "Does that mean you don't have plans tomorrow?" She dares a glance at him before quickly busying herself, putting away the ground beef and cheese slices in the refrigerator. "It's nothing special. Just the three of us, eating burgers and pasta salad, and we shoot off some of our own fireworks before we go down to the pond and watch the town's show."

Daryl is quiet and she knows he's probably thinking of a way to let her down easy.

"That sounds real nice," he then says in a soft voice.

And Beth turns away from the refrigerator to give him a smile.

They both turn their heads when they hear the screen door creak open.

"Doc?" Someone then calls out.

Louis bursts with a bark and goes off running from the kitchen to the front door, Daryl and Beth hurry after him though Louis isn't getting himself ready to attack the person. Instead, it's Oscar and Louis is eagerly curious about the cat Oscar is holding in his arms.

"Sorry," Daryl says as he grabs Louis' collar and pulls the chocolate Lab back.

"I'm sorry, Oscar," Beth takes her turn to apologize. "Daryl and Louis just moved in and we still need to figure out a good way to keep him calm when patients are coming in. Hi, Pollyanna," she then coos to the black cat in the large man's arms and scratches at her beneath her chin just like she knows the animal likes.

"No worries, you both," Oscar says and he's smiling at both of them. "The way this girl is, she'd do more damage than Louis would."

It's true. The cat seems to be glaring down at the dog and if it is possible for a cat to put out hexes, Pollyanna would be doing that right now. All the while, Louis is smiling up at the cat and his tail will not stop wagging. Beth laughs gently at the scene and she looks to Daryl.

"Have a good day, Daryl," she smiles at him.

Daryl nods his head towards her. "You, too," he says to her and she then guides Oscar through the sitting room and into the examination room, closing the door behind them.

"So," Oscar grins as he gently sets the cat down on the steel exam table. "You and Daryl finally making a move with each other."

Beth shakes her head slightly and goes to her drawers, pulling out her stethoscope. "What do you mean finally?" She asks him as she goes back to the table.

Oscar waits until she listens to Pollyanna's heart and once she does and loops the stethoscope around her neck and then he answers. "Finally, because the whole town has been watching you two and have figured that something is going on."

Instantly, Beth's face explodes with a blush but she busies herself with looking into Pollyanna's ears. She has absolutely no idea what to say to that. The whole town has been watching her and Daryl? She knows it's a small town and not a lot happens but that seems ridiculous even for this place. There's absolutely nothing going on with her and Daryl. They are roommates now simply for convenience. She had needed help with the farmhouse and Daryl had needed a place to live outside of his mother's house. That's all this is.

A convenient arrangement for them both.

Beth shouldn't be surprised though that this town is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

She has a busy morning scheduled for herself. Most people have scheduled simple checkups for their animals and then have also wanted tranquilizers to help them get through all of the fireworks that will be going off all day tomorrow and by the time noon rolls around, her stomach is grumbling, demanding to be fed. And it's only when she leaves the exam room does she remember the groceries on the kitchen island and she had completely forgotten to put them away before Oscar had come. She hurries into the kitchen, imagining the kind of mess the melted ice cream has made on the counter.

But when she enters, she sees the kitchen is spotless. All of the groceries have been put away, the plastic bags stowed away in the box on the pantry floor where she keeps others and even the knife that she had used to smear peanut butter on her toast that morning and had been left in the sink has been put into the dishwasher. Beth stands in the doorway, looking at everything, feeling overwhelmed by Daryl's consideration.

And when he comes back home from work, she will be sure to thank him profusely for his help. But she will also be sure to make him know that she wanted a roommate; not a maid.

She goes into the freezer to get one of her Lean Cuisine meals and just as she has popped it into the microwave, the telephone on the wall begins to ring.

"Hello?" She answers.

"Hey, Beth," the man on the other end greets.

Her brow instantly furrows. "Hi, Zach." She pauses. "I didn't have an appointment today, did I? I don't have it in my phone-"

"No, no. Your six-month check-up is next month," Zach assures her. "I'm actually calling for Daryl. Is he there?"

Now, Beth's brow furrows even more and she frowns. "No… he's gone to one of his jobsites," she answers slowly. "What's going on? Does he have an appointment today?" She then can't help but ask.

Zach sighs heavily. "It's Amy. She never showed up to the office today so me and my dad and all of the hygienists have been taking turns answering the phone. And I know they're not together anymore but Daryl's still listed as her emergency number and I just thought…" he sighs again. "It was a stupid thought. I'm going to try her sister next. Thanks, Beth."

And with that, Zach hangs up.

Beth hangs up, too, and the microwave beeps and she goes to collect her lunch. She pulls back the plastic film and grabs a fork from the drawer and sits down on a stool at the island, scrolling through the contacts on her cell phone. Daryl doesn't have a cell phone – which is amazing to her. Not because a person has to have a cell phone, but because he owns his own business and how do people get a hold of him? But people certainly manage because Daryl is always busy, going from one project to another.

She finds T-Dog's number in her phone and she dials it, putting him on speaker as she stabs a piece of her orange chicken.

"What's up, Doc?" T-Dog answers.

"Hi, T-Dog. Is Daryl nearby? I need to speak with him," Beth says.

"Breakin' my heart, Doc. Thought you were callin' to make my dreams come true."

Beth laughs a little as she rolls her eyes and pops a piece of the chicken into her mouth.

A moment of shuffling can be heard.

"Hey. Everythin' okay?" Daryl's voice asks her a moment later and she had just seen him a few hours earlier but his voice still manages to make her spine shiver. And then she feels instantly pathetic and does her best to shake it off.

"Hi, Daryl. Zach called, looking for you. I guess Amy never showed up at the dentist's office today for work and they were hoping you have seen her," Beth says and even saying the words, she doesn't feel them settle right on her tongue.

They taste bitter and wrong and she almost wishes she hadn't called him but she had thought it would be the right thing to do. Daryl is a caring person and what if Amy's lost or hurt somewhere? What if Beth could have helped but hadn't told Daryl about it? That would never settle right with her. And Daryl would probably never forgive her.

Daryl's quiet for a moment. "Nah, I haven' seen her. And I don't really care to. 'm sure she's jus' still at home, nursin' a hangover. I'll call Andrea so she can go and check on her."

"Alright," Beth says because she's not too sure what else to say to all of this. "Um, thank you for putting the groceries away. You didn't have to do that though. I mean, I don't expect you to put my groceries away for me every time and I don't want you to think that I'm incapable or that I'm too lazy to put my groceries away myself-"

"Doc," Daryl says then, gently pushing his way in, cutting off her ramble. "Relax. 's jus' groceries," he says and Beth swears that she can hear a smile in his tone but she knows that it's probably just her imagination because Daryl does not smile. At least not to her.

"Still," she exhales a deep breath and she's relieved that Daryl's not there to see the color staining her cheeks. "Thank you," she says to him in a softer voice.

"You're welcome," he returns in a matching soft voice.

…

"If you burn them, I swear to God, Spencer…" Rosita trails off, letting the threat hang in the air. She stands next to him and peers down to the grill with a frown.

"Shut up, I'm not going to burn anything. Men have been grilling since the dawn of time. I think I know what I'm doing," Spencer frowns at her before turning back towards the grill where the burgers are looking a little dark but he'll be damned before admitting that.

Beth ignores them as she sets the picnic table in the backyard near the grill. Plates and napkins, plastic ware and cups, all on top of the blue plastic tablecloth with white stars that she has bought. As she sets everything out, she can't help but look towards Daryl with Louis trotting at his side, coming out of the barn. They had given Louis a tranquilizer to keep him calm during the fireworks later but it takes a couple of hours before kicking in and right now, he's as wide awake and alert as always.

She can't help but have her eyes settle on the man as he walks closer. Even in something as simple as blue jeans and a black tee-shirt, he just looks so damn good. And then Beth feels the familiar guilt for thinking that because he's her friend and her roommate and he's not supposed to look damn good to her. He's just supposed to look like Daryl.

"There!" Spencer sets the plate of burgers down on the table. "Just the way George Washington intended for them to be."

"They look a little burnt to me," Rosita comments and then shrieks when Spencer then wraps his arm around her neck in a headlock.

"I just need to get the lemonade," Beth says as she leaves them to head back to the house.

"I'll come with you!" Rosita says and after successfully pushing Spencer away, she comes hurrying to catch up with her. "So," she begins as she and Beth climb the back steps and opening the screen door, go into the cool kitchen.

Beth nearly breathes with relief when she feels the nearly frigid air of the house compared to the heavy humid air outside. She has no idea how her family ever survived without air-conditioning in this house without passing out like she had.

"How's it going?" Rosita asks as Beth goes to the refrigerator to get the pitcher of lemonade and Beth turns to look at her because there's so much more to Rosita's question than just a simple how's it going. And sure enough, Rosita is smiling at her not so innocently.

Beth may love Rosita and Rosita may be her best friend but Beth is not going to entertain Rosita with this. "Everything's going fine," she says simply and she then takes the bowl of pasta salad and berries. "Carry this," she then says, handing Rosita the lemonade.

"Fine? Daryl Dixon is living with you now and you're going to give me just a fine?" Rosita asks with a raised eyebrow and Beth nearly laughs but she controls herself.

"Rosita, whatever are you talking about?" Beth teases, batting her eyebrows to her in an exaggerated manner; the utmost portrait of innocence.

"Well, fiddle-dee-dee, Ms. Scarlett," Rosita tease her back and Beth does laugh now as they head back outside.

Daryl and Louis are now at the table with Spencer and Spencer has gotten them two bottles of beer from the cooler. Both are sitting at the table, drinking and Daryl listening as Spencer talks, and as the girls arrive at the table, both stand up to help them set everything down. They then all sit down once more – Spencer and Rosita on one side and Beth next to Daryl across from them with Louis laying down in the grass underneath the table. It seems as if the tranquilizer is starting to kick in.

"See, the whole thing with the statue is what people think it represents," Spencer continues his conversation with Daryl as they all help themselves to the food on the table. Besides the burgers and pasta salad, there is corn on the cob and baked beans. "They think we're just promoting the Confederacy and the continuation of slavery and I get it. Of course people are going to be offended by it; just like there are plenty offended with the Confederate flag. And it's America. It's your right to be offended. But the statue is also honoring one of the most gifted tactical commanders in US History and whether we like it or not, that man is a part of history and a part of Southern history. Just because something's ugly doesn't mean we should just erase it and pretend it never happened."

"So, what'd the Mayor say instead?" Daryl asked, handing Beth the bottle of ketchup without her having to ask him for it.

"Oh, you mean what did he say instead of what I had eloquently written on the note cards for him?" Spencer frowned. "Stonewall Jackson was a Southern hero and it is our town's duty to honor heroes. You can't call Stonewall Jackson a hero at a town's Fourth of July gathering without some feathers getting ruffled."

"So, now what?" Rosita asks. "People think the town is going to bring back slavery?"

"I don't want to go to work tomorrow," Spencer frowns.

"I don't remember nearly this many protests in Atlanta and Atlanta is a little bit bigger than this town," Beth comments. "And just because a person has Southern pride doesn't mean that that person condones slavery. That's like saying we all support the KKK because we're white," she says.

"Merle actually might," Daryl comments and Beth laughs softly, playfully nudging him in the side, and he looks at her with those twitching lips of his.

"See, it makes sense with the four of us, sitting around here, talking about it. But the Mayor is never able to quite word that all right without making it even worse," Spencer continues. "It's a talent. It really is."

"Don't look at me. I didn't vote for him," Rosita reminds him.

"Yes, dear, thank you for your continued support with my political career," Spencer smirks at her and Rosita just smiles at him.

Daryl is chewing on a bite of beans but once he's swallowed, he speaks again. "Don't 'member votin' at all. When were we supposed to vote?"

Beth giggles softly as Spencer gasps.

"Heathens. All of you are damn heathens who don't participate in the very cornerstone of our nation's democracy!" Spencer exclaims at all of them.

Beth shrugs then. "I always feel like my vote doesn't count. The media chooses who they want to win and that's that."

Spencer moves his plate out of the way and then drops his head heavily onto the table. The sudden noise startles Louis, who lifts his head and gives a quiet bark, before settling down once more and going back to sleep.

"Anyway," Rosita ignores her boyfriend as she takes another corncob. "Daryl, are you the one who's going to be building the new gazebo in the Commons?" She asks.

Daryl nods and then waits until he's swallowed his mouthful of burger. "Yeah. Me and T got a meetin' with the town's plannin' committee next week. Didn' even show interest or put a bid in. Mayor's office jus' called me up and told me they wanted me to rebuild the thing."

"Yeah," Spencer says, his head still down and his voice muffled. "I dropped your name to them when we were in a meeting, discussing who should do it."

Beth looks to Daryl and Daryl is staring at Spencer. Daryl's usual expressionless face is showing obvious surprise at that and Beth purses her lips together to keep from smiling too widely. But really, she wants to throw her arms around Spencer for the gesture; whether he considers it to be one or not. Because this is exactly why she loves her friends. They know she likes Daryl and that he's becoming important to her so Rosita and Spencer are making the effort to get to know him and like him, too.

She hopes that Daryl looks at all of them as his friends, too.

…

Thank you very much for reading! Today's my birthday so please take a moment and gift me with a review! (Did that sound too needy? I really didn't mean for it to.)