…

Chapter Twenty-Three. When I'm With You.

He takes a minute to catch his breath, his face pressed to the side of her neck, drowning himself in her scent. How can she still smell so good? Daryl's pretty sure he smells like a locker room right now. He presses his face harder into her skin, trying to figure out the answer, pretty sure he's getting high from the faint scent of cherries. Beth giggles softly then, his facial hair scratching and tickling her. He finally lifts his head to look down at her. She's still flushed and she looks tired, but happy. And it's not really Daryl to pat himself on the back after sex, but looking down at Beth, and the fact that she still seems out of breath, he admits that he feels a little proud of himself.

"Better this time?" He asks and she smiles, almost giggling, nodding her head.

"Much better," she says and he smiles a little, too.

He dips his head down and presses a warm kiss to the side of her throat and a pleasurable moan rises softly past her lips. He looks at her again and it's amazing to him just how pretty this girl is. She's beautiful. And she's smart as hell and good. Way too good for him. She doesn't have to do anything for Daryl to see that. He still can't really believe that he's in a bed with her and knows what it feels like to be inside of her and that she wants to be there with him. A girl like Beth can get any guy she wants. So why the hell does she want him?

"Wan' somethin' to eat?" He asks. "I usually eat somethin' after…"

Despite what they had just done, he still feels the tips of his ears turn red, and Beth notices and she smiles up at him warmly.

"I bet you want a smoke, too?" She says, only half-teasing.

He smirks. "Yeah."

"Come on."

She pushes on his chest gently and he moves off of her, watching her as she stands up from the bed, taking the bed sheet with her and wrapping it around her nude body. Daryl follows, picking up his boxers and tee-shirt from the floor and tugging them back on. He reaches into his bedroom as he passes, grabbing his pack of cigarettes and lighter from the dresser before heading down the stairs after Beth. Louis is lying on the floor of the kitchen and he instantly gets to his feet when Beth, and then Daryl, come into the room.

"What do you have a taste for?" Beth asks, going to the refrigerator.

Daryl has popped an unlit cigarette into his mouth and he looks to Beth, stopping for a moment at the scene in front of him. Beth, wrapped in a bed sheet and her hair thrown up into a sloppy knot on her head, is bathed in the warm yellow light from inside the refrigerator and she's looking over the things kept on the shelf. How the hell did he get here? How did he come to live here, in this house, with the prettiest girl in the world, who just happens to be his girlfriend and who loves him? Who the hell is he to have anything as good as it is right now?

And then, of course, he begins to wonder how long this will last, because, in Daryl's mind, good things don't last. They just don't last. The world is always playing jokes, giving the person something amazing only to rip it away a short time later, all the while joking and teasing. "Gotcha, didn't I?" So how long does he have before Beth is pulled away from him?

"We have leftover pizza," Beth then remembers.

Daryl snaps himself out of it. "Yeah," he agrees. "That sounds good. I'm gonna take Louis out real quick and smoke."

"You want a beer?" She asks as he heads for the door, Louis trotting after him.

"Tryin' to get me drunk?"

"Yep," Beth smiles back instantly. "I want another round."

Daryl finds himself smirking at that. "'m not a machine, woman," he mutters, but he doesn't mean it and he has no problem going again with her in bed and Beth knows it, too.

Her soft laughter follows him outside as he steps into the heavy, humid night. The crickets are still chirping at full volume and Daryl lights the cigarette as Louis goes trotting off towards a tree, his snout glued to the ground as he walks. Daryl tilts his head upwards and looks at how black the sky was and how many stars he can see. He loves it out here. He loves that nothing is blocking his view of seeing this; loves that no one else is around for miles. He can't imagine ever getting tired of this.

He's always had this dream for himself and just building himself a place in the woods and living there, really only coming out when he had to make money before returning to his self-imposed solitude. He's always preferred the company of himself to anyone else.

And he managed it for a few years. After graduating from high school, he moved from his mom's house and rented a single room cabin from an old man who used to use it for hunting, but didn't anymore. The place was falling apart and he gave Daryl permission to fix it up and he lived there for a couple of years and was as happy as could be. Just no one except him and the woods and the animals.

But then Merle came back from having been away and Daryl came out of the woods to be with him. He had always felt this attachment to his older brother. Maybe it was because Merle hadn't been around that much when Daryl had been growing up. With ten years between them, some of Daryl's childhood had been shit before Will Dixon split but Merle's entire childhood had been shit and something that Merle never talks about. Daryl can just imagine though. He has his own scars on his back and Will Dixon wasn't around for nearly as many years. Maybe Daryl felt then – and still feels – that he's trying to save his brother from all of those things that happened to him years ago.

Whenever Merle came back to Dogwood after being away, Daryl always went to him. He loved his place in the woods, but he loved – and still does – his brother more and though no one ever told him to, Daryl has always taken it upon himself to look out for him.

And then came Amy and then living with his mom for a few months and now, he's here. On this farm with Beth. He thinks that maybe he hasn't been this happy and content since he was living away by himself in the woods.

Daryl finishes his cigarette and Louis comes trotting back to him after finishing his business and they head inside again. Locking the door behind him, he sees that Beth's not in the kitchen anymore and he heads back up the stairs. Beth is back in bed, a can of beer on the nightstand, coaster underneath it, and there is a plate of pizza in her hands and a Bob's Burgers rerun on the television. She looks up when he appears in the doorway and she bursts into a smile as if she's so happy that he came back; as if there was a doubt.

His own lips twitch to her and he then comes to the bed, slipping beneath the sheet, and sitting up beside her. He takes the beer can and pops the tab. He takes the first sip and then passes the beer to Beth as she passes him one of the square slices of pizza. And together, they both laugh at the same joke told on the television. Well, Beth laughs and Daryl chuckles and Beth snuggles down, putting herself closer to him as she sips at the beer.

Daryl thinks about it for a second. Actually, he thinks this is the happiest he's ever been.

And for a second, he thinks he might be in love with her, but he stops himself before he can continue that thought. His relationship with Amy just ended a handful of months ago. It's too soon for something like that.

…

"Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Paulie teases as Daryl lets himself in the house with Louis on his heels.

"Wha'?" He shrugs. "I can't come and visit my ma whenever I wan'?" Paulie just gives him a look and knowing smile. "Beth's sister called and I like to give her privacy for that."

"You're so sweet," Paulie smiles and Daryl's ears turn red. "You eat anythin' yet for supper?" She asks, but without waiting for an answer, Paulie turns and heads into the kitchen. "I've made myself some stuffed peppers. Got two left. You wan'?" She asks, but again, Daryl doesn't need to answer before Paulie pulls out a plate from the cabinet and then the leftovers from the refrigerator, popping them into the microwave. "I wen' to go visit your brother after work tonight. He was eatin' an honest-to-God banana when he opened the door. And I saw all the food in his fridge and the vitamins on the counter. Told me the Doc's makin' him do it."

Daryl shrugs, not too sure what to say. He's surprised Merle admitted to anything.

"Bless that girl," Paulie murmurs and then turns when the microwave beeps. She takes the two stuffed peppers out and places them on the plate, handing it along with a fork to Daryl. He sits down at the table and a moment later, she sets a glass of water down as well.

"Thanks," Daryl says before he starts to dig in.

Paulie sits down across from him. "Will you tell Beth to come and see me?" She then asks.

Daryl lifts his eyes, his brow furrowed. "Wha' do you mean?"

"It's my fault," Paulie sighs. "I gave her a talk-"

"Wha' kind of talk?" Daryl can't help but jump in.

"A don't hurt my son or I'll hurt you talk," Paulie informs him bluntly.

Daryl sighs heavily and puts his fork down. "You didn' need to do that. Not to Beth."

"I know."

Paulie visibly swallows and Daryl feels bad because she looks so sad, but he doesn't know what he can do because he understands why Paulie did what she did. He's her son and Paulie doesn't want him to go through again what Amy had just put him through. But to Beth? If anyone needs the talk about not hurting the other people, it should be him.

"She's still polite to me, but I can tell she's keepin' herself away, and I don't blame her," Paulie sighs again. "Could you tell her that I wanna talk?"

"I don't know, ma," Daryl admits, nearly rubbing his hand down his face. This is definitely a position he's never found himself in before. His mom actually likes his girlfriend. "I guess I could, but…"

"No, no, you're right. I shouldn't put you in the middle and I can't expect you to take care of this. Beth will agree only 'cause you're askin' and I don't want her to do it 'cause of you."

Daryl picks up his fork again, but he doesn't take another bite of the food in front of him. He stares down at the peppers. "'m happy, ma," he says, but doesn't look at her as he says it.

Paulie doesn't need him to look at her though to know that he's telling the truth. She actually has never seen him like this. It's not as if he is bursting into constant smiles and songs, but when Daryl is happy, it's obvious in his entire being. He's more relaxed. Visibly relaxed. He's comfortable. As he works on the gazebo in the park, Paulie is able to sometimes watch him from the front window of the diner. She sees Beth coming to see him most days and Paulie can see the way he acts around her. He is so damn happy; happier than Paulie has ever seen him. Certainly happier than he ever looked when with Amy.

With Amy, it seemed like he was doing anything he could possibly do to keep her around. Daryl would never admit it, but he was like most people in this world. He just wanted to be loved by someone and he, in return, had so much love to give. And with Amy, he had just seemed to always be on the edge, bracing himself for the end of it all; as if he hadn't thought he had deserved her. When, in Paulie's mind, it had always been the other way around. Amy sure as hell hadn't deserved Daryl.

And it's her fault for looking at Beth and thinking she is anything like Amy. She's not. That's obvious to anyone with two eyes. But if it isn't, a person only has to look at Daryl and Beth to see the difference.

Daryl looks at Beth like she's hung the stars in the sky.

But the difference with Beth is, she looks at Daryl like he's hung the moon.

"I'll think of a way to talk with Beth myself. You jus' eat your peppers," Paulie says and leans over, patting Daryl on the hand.

Paulie can't help but wonder if Daryl will marry Beth. He was with Amy for two years before he decided that it was time to pop the question. Paulie remembers that he came over on a Thursday evening – without Amy as per usual – and over dinner, he told her in that gruff, blunt way of his that he was going to ask Amy to marry him.

And of course, when he told her, she had to bite her tongue because immediately, she wanted to tell him how big of a mistake she thought that was. But Merle was over there for dinner that night, too, and Merle had no hesitancies in asking his little brother as bluntly as Merle usually asked things what the hell Daryl was thinking. Thank goodness for Merle.

Daryl had gotten pissed off and had stormed out, but Merle's question must have stuck in his head because Daryl never did ask Amy to marry him. Paulie didn't know if Daryl was still planning on it, but it hadn't mattered in the end. Amy had seen to that.

She's not sure if what Amy did will ever make Daryl even think about marriage again, but if he does think about it, Paulie hopes he thinks about it with Beth. She hopes her son is smart enough to see that Beth is the kind of woman a guy thinks about marrying and then does.

Paulie just hopes she's able to apologize to Beth and to get Beth to forgive her before that happens. She's always wanted a daughter.

Maybe she needs to give Daryl a talk about not screwing this one up.

…

Beth pants on top of him and his heart feels like it's trying to break through his ribcage.

"Wasn' expectin' that," he grunts and she laughs breathlessly in his ear.

"Sorry," she says and with her hands on his chest, she slowly begins to push herself off, but Daryl stops her before she can. His hands tighten their grip on her hips, keeping her straddling him. He likes the way she feels on top of him.

"Wasn' complain'," he says, looking up at her, watching the way she blushes at that. "Is everythin' okay?" He then asks because he knows Beth well enough by now to know that while amazing in bed, she's not the type to just climb on top of him and fuck him like there's a possibility of there being no tomorrow.

And he's right because Beth sighs softly and adjusts herself so she's lying down, her body stretched along his and her head on his shoulder. Daryl wraps one arm around her waist and his other hand brushes hair back from her face. He doesn't know what it is with this girl, but there's something about her and he knows she can take care of herself, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to take care of her. And Beth doesn't seem to mind when he does. In fact, she seems to crave his affection and knowing that she actually wants it, Daryl finds himself willing to go out of his comfort zone more and more and give it to her.

He likes the way he feels when he's with her. Like he's someone who's good enough.

She exhales a soft sigh. "I had to put someone's dog to sleep today. I'm never good with that. I don't think I'll ever be."

"Hope you wouldn' be good with doin' somethin' like that," Daryl comments in a murmur, his fingers now slowly trailing up and down her back, following her spine.

"I told the girl that she didn't have to be there while I did it, but she said that she and the dog were best friends and her face should be the last thing he sees."

Her voice shakes a little and she exhales a shaky breath. Daryl knows she's trying to keep from crying, which he figures she's already done earlier in privacy, in her office. He doesn't say anything. He has no idea what to say in a situation like this. He just keeps his arms around her.

"The best thing Louis can do for us is pass away in his sleep, in bed with us, when he's very, very old," Beth says.

And Daryl doesn't want to think about that. Louis is still very-much a puppy and he understands the girl who said her dog was her best friend because he's that way, too. Where he goes, Louis goes and he doesn't want to think about someday, that dog not being on his heels anymore.

But hearing Beth talk about the future like that – for us and in bed with us – and doing it so easily and with not much thinking on her part, it seems, it stirs something in the pit of Daryl's stomach.

Beth gasps with surprise when Daryl swiftly rolls her onto her back, putting himself on top of her, but her gasp melted into a soft moan as he began pressing his mouth to the side of her throat. Her hands slide up and down his back and he doesn't flinch as she touches the scars there. The first time she saw them, there was no judgment in her eyes; no pity. She didn't ask him about them and she hadn't touched them until she was certain he didn't mind. And Beth's fingers are as light and gentle as feathers. Surprisingly to him, he doesn't mind at all when she touches them. Actually, when he's with Beth, he almost forgets he has scars on his back at all.

But her moans of pleasure turns to one of frustration when her cell phone on the nightstand begins to ring.

She signs heavily. "It's Rosita," she tells him and he lifts his head. "I should get it. She might be calling me from the police station. She seemed pretty set on murdering Spencer."

Daryl smirks and eases off of her just enough for her to be able to grab the phone.

"Hi, Rosita," Beth answers, still sounding a little breathless.

"SPENCER PROPOSED!" Rosita screams so loud, Daryl can easily hear her from through the phone, and then she squeals and Beth laughs, sitting up, forcing Daryl to sit up, too. "We're going out for drinks to celebrate and you and Daryl have to come! Meet us at Joe's!"

She ends the call before Beth can say a word and smiling, she looks to Daryl.

"Do you mind if we go for a drink?" Beth asks him.

"Course I don't," he doesn't even hesitate. "'bout time Spencer got off his ass."

"I can't wait to hear how he did it," Beth says as she eagerly climbs from the bed and begins getting dressed. Daryl follows after a second later, picking up his own clothes. "I bet she was probably threatening to cut off a particular part of his anatomy with a knife."

"She do that a lot?" Daryl asks as they head down the stairs.

"More times than one should threaten their boyfriend with a knife," Beth quips back.

"This mean you're an advocate of threatin' boyfriends with knives?"

They head outside to the truck, Louis hopping up in the back bed. Beth looks at Daryl and with a playful smile, she just gives him a wink, and Daryl finds himself breaking into a smile in return, shaking his head as he climbs in behind the wheel.

He drives away from the farm and heads towards Joe's bar, liking the idea that Rosita called Beth and without even seeming to miss a beat, she invites Daryl along for drinks to celebrate. He likes that they seem to consider him as a friend; likes that they have brought him into their group without seeming to have much hesitancy at all in doing so. He knows they did it because of Beth, but they also seem to not mind having him around at all.

Beth is singing along to a song on the radio. A top 40 song he doesn't know, but he listens as Beth sings about hitting the dance floor on a Friday night, and again, he feels himself smiling a little bit again, watching her as she does a little dance in her seat. He seems to be smiling so damn much lately.

The smile fades however when he pulls up to Joe's and over her singing and the song on the radio, he can hear the music pounding out from the bar. He feels a sudden rush of cold wash over him as he remembers. Shit. It's Saturday night and at Joe's, that means one thing. Death by Destruction is playing. He's seconds away from seeing Amy and there's no way he'll be able to get out of going in there.

…

Thank you very much for reading and please take a moment to leave me a comment!