A/N Shoot, we were just having fun when everything kind of went sideways. Let's see what happens next.

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Beth leaps from one side of the bed while Daryl's jumping out the other side, and ohmygawd, he's naked. She screams, "Daryl!" and he realizes then, he's half-hard and fully nude, and damn, she looks cute in his t-shirt.

He hurries to the chair to grab the towel. Not that it makes any difference at this point, she's already seen everything he's got to offer. Still, he wraps the towel around his waist, but Beth's got her back turned to him with her arms folded tightly in front of her, and everything about her stance tells him she's thoroughly pissed.

She's crying, but it doesn't sound like she's sad and he's pretty sure she'd like to kill his ass right now. As for Daryl, he's stunned, full of anger and completely confused by what just happened, and when in a very angry voice Beth demands again, "What were you thinking Daryl!" It's all he can do to control his natural impulse to act out and start raising holy living hell with her.

Owning a business has forced him to learn to harness his volatile temper, at least a little. Although right now he's so caught up in anger and confusion he's having trouble maintaining his cool. He does come close to yelling at her and letting her know in exact detail what he was thinking about doing when he crawled in bed with her. Shit, she wants to know. He's also fighting the urge to tell her what he's thinking about right now.

It takes every ounce of self-control Daryl can muster to stop and force himself to think this through.

He draws in a deep breath as he tries to swallow his anger long enough to figure out what the fuck just happened, something else is going on with him too, something that's adding to his anger. Even as fucking pissed off as he is, dammit, he can't just cut off his feelings for this woman.

Shit, until earlier tonight he didn't think he'd ever even see her again. He figured once she was well enough to be in her own place she'd be done with him for good. When he walked in the bar tonight and saw her sitting there, he understood what it means when people say their heart skipped a beat. It's corny as hell, but shit, it happened to him. He couldn't believe she'd come to see him, and for a minute he lost his mind. Shit, he kissed her right there in the bar and right in front of everyone. He broke like four of his own rules.

The fact of the matter is, she means something to him, he wants to be with her in a lot of ways, not just in the sack. He likes it when she's around. He likes listening to her talk, and he likes her sweet and delicate way. Dammit. He cares too much.

Fuck all this shit.

He has to make himself keep a level tone and surprisingly, he manages that pretty well, "Beth, why don't ya turn around so we can talk face ta face. I'm all covered up now." Then he remembers something and tries to make a little joke, maybe it will ease some of the tension and anger in the room, "I seen ya naked and now ya seen me naked, so we're even, right? That's fair, ain't it?" And he manages to force a little laugh.

Beth does not laugh, not even the tiniest giggle. She spins around on her heel and demands, "What?! You said you didn't see anything that night!"

Shit, fuck him and fuck this, "I's try'n ta be nice, so ya wouldn't be all embarrassed, but now we're even so it don't matter, right?"

He's sure he knows now how everything went so wrong. She wasn't thinking what he was thinking when she agreed to the whole spending the night thing. He doesn't believe that's his fault and he attempts to explain why, "I'm 35 years old an I ain't ever pushed a woman to do sumthin' she didn't wanna do. I ain't that kind. But when you agreed ta stay, I was naturally thinkin' we were gonna do what men and women do when they spend the night together."

She doesn't doubt his honesty so she listens quietly as he continues to explain.

"Think about what happened at the bar Beth. You showed up, ya said you came ta see me to wish me Happy New Year. You were all dressed up n lookin' pretty in that pink sweater, and I thought it meant sumthin', like I meant sumthin' to you. The truth is, ya mean sumthin ta me. When you were ready ta go home I asked ya ta come ta my place, ta spend the night here, an when ya said ya shouldn't, damn baby, I admit, I was fuckin' disappointed, but I didn't get mad or argue or nuthin', did I? No. I offered ta get Rosita ta cover for Jerry so I could drive ya home n he could give me a ride back ta work, on the busiest fuckin' day of the year at Dirty Dixon's."

"I was okay with all that though. I accepted ya didn't wanna be with me that way. It was you who changed your mind. You said you wanted ta stay with me here, and ya had a big sweet smile on your face when ya did. I don't know what that meant ta you, but to me it meant…well I guess ya know what I thought it meant. Dammit, we're even more different than I thought. We don't even speak the same language."

Her mind is spinning and leaping from thought to thought as she tries to digest everything he just said. Oh my gosh, when he explains it that way, she gets it. This is her fault. For heaven's sake Beth, you and Daryl aren't children, what were you thinking? He's a rough tough biker, and oh my gosh, he's 35! She didn't realize that. My golly, did she really imagine this man wanted to have a fun little sleepover? A slumber party with her? Did she think they were they going to bake brownies and watch scary movies?

This is beyond naïve Beth, this is just being plain dumb, and shoot, she led him on. She made him think she wanted the same thing he wanted. She has to try and explain, "I…I wanted to be here with you Daryl. I wanted to spend time with you talking and stuff, like we did before when I was here. I realize now though, this was different. I'm so sorry I didn't make it clear about…well you know."

He suspects something then, he's not sure why, but he feels it. He would never in a million years just blurt out a question like this, but shit, how could she not think something was going to happen? Is she really that innocent? How could she be? This night is all fucked up, and it's way different than any he's ever had, and Beth Greene is way different than any chick he's ever been with. He has to know, so what the fuck, he asks, "Ya ain't ever been with a man, have ya?"

Her face turns bright red, but she's honest, "No. I've never been in love with anyone." He holds back a scoff; shit he wonders how many people having sex tonight are actually in love.

Fuck him, "It ain't your fault baby, I'm the man and it's my job ta ask before I ever lay a hand on ya. I shoulda made sure. I'm sorry."

While he's been speaking, she's been walking his way and now she wraps her arms around his waist and says, "I'm sorry about tonight. I'm sorry I misled you and I yelled at you. I also think you're right, we don't exactly speak the same language." Maybe in spite of all their differences they could have worked something out, but she's ruined everything, "I understand. I'll get dressed and go home now."

His arms tighten around her now and he's done being mad. He's still concerned, shit, how did he find the only adult virgin in the world? She's a good girl n he shoulda thought about that before he assumed anything. He just didn't think. He has to get all the way honest with her.

He's not used to this kind of talk but he manages to say what he feels, "I'm hungry, I gotta eat, but first, let's straighten sumthing out. I got some feelins for ya Baby, a lotta feelins, and I ain't mad at ya." He smiles and admits, "I'm disappointed as all fuckin' get out things didn't happen the way I thought they were gonna, but I ain't mad. Lemme put some clothes on n we'll eat n have a drink. I'm starvin'. Shit, that chicken I put in the crockpot earlier probably cooked away by now."

What he said touched her heart, but there's the food too, she can hear his stomach rumbling. Beth smiles sweetly and assures him, "Oh, no, the chicken is just fine, but it's cold now. I turned the crockpot off when I got here because it was done, but I didn't know how long you'd be and I didn't think it would be safe to leave the chicken out. It's in the fridge."

He lightly clutches her face in his hands, kisses the top of her head and says, "Thanks, Baby."

It's her turn to come clean. This seems like a good time for her to tell him how she feels. Daryl said a lot about his feelings, not with a lot of words, and there were no mushy, tender words, but that's not him, and besides, she knows he meant what he said. Beth wants to be clear with him about how she feels, "I have very strong feelings for you Daryl, feelings that I've never had for anyone. When I think about that, and I look at you, and think about you…" she breathes in again, trying to calm herself, "I can imagine that kind of intimacy with you, just not quite yet."

She can't believe she got those words out. Her heart is pounding and her tummy is aching and maybe, just maybe her head will explode at any minute.

He's scared to think too much, scared to talk about all of this anymore, at least right now. Maybe it's best not to, "Sounds good Baby. Lemme go get some pants on n we can see about that chicken."

She offers to heat the chicken up for him, and even make a little gravy. "Nah, whatever I thought might happen tonight, I sure as hell never planned for you ta have ta cook for me in the middle of the night." He softly cups her cheek and says, "I'ma make myself a chicken sandwich, ya want one?"

She smiles, "I don't usually eat in the middle of the night, but I am kind of hungry. How about if we make those sandwiches together?"

"A'ight, you stand there lookin cute while I get the fixins."

They make their sandwiches, two for him and one for her, and he suggests, "Let's take em into the front room. I'd like ta sit on sumthin comfortable while I eat." He takes one step, stops and says, "I'ma have a beer, whaddya wanna drink with yours?"

"I'll get myself a glass of water."

"How bout you take the plates in, I'll get the drinks."

All this normal, everyday bullshit seems to go smooth as silk. That's good, right?

They sit side by side on the couch and he uses the controller to put a music station on the TV. It's playing instrumentals, soft and low, "If I wanna sleep, I need ta come down from the punk n metal."

She nods, "The music was so loud tonight."

"That's how the bunch at Dirty Dixon's like it. Loud enough ta rattle the roof."

She softly giggles, "They'd hate the kind of music I sing."

"Wait, ya sing? Like what?"

Now she's embarrassed, her cheeks are bright pink and she shrugs her shoulders and says, "Mine is more like pop, sometimes a little bit country and sometimes a little bit folksy, and I play piano and guitar."

"Damn Baby, I wanna hear ya. You're gonna have ta sing for me sometime soon." Shit, he hates that fucking pop music, but he'd sure like to hear Beth sing it.

They finish their food and their drinks, and he has one more beer while they talk about the new year and how they don't believe in making resolutions, Daryl says, "This year I got one though."

She asks, "Oh yeah, and what is that?"

"I don't meant ta blow my own horn or anythin, but I always been a real good tracker. Good at readin and followin' the signs. But shit, I failed, messed up bad. So, my resolution is, when it comes ta you, I'ma learn ta read the signs."

She laughs and says, "Well then my resolution is to make the signs more clear," Beth gets a little pink cheeked when she adds, "and I also plan to get closer and closer to you Daryl."

"I like that one," his arm reaches around her shoulder, he pulls her close and kisses her deeply, then smiles, "I ain't gonna push ya Beth. I can settle for kissin' and huggin' for a while."

He doesn't want to talk about it, but he knows it's coming. He's just been waiting for her to get up the courage or whatever the hell it takes for her to ask.

She's been wanting to ask and yet she's not so sure she wants to know the answer. Daryl's so handsome, and besides that Leah woman, there were plenty of women at the bar tonight giving him the eye, and that was with Beth there and obviously with him. Holy cow, if they're that blatant in front of her, what's it like when she's not there? And gosh, she's pretty darn sure none of those women would have chased Daryl out of bed tonight like she did. Shoot.

She just has to know, "So Daryl…gosh I'm not even sure it's fair to ask, it's probably none of my business, but we agreed we'd talk about it and…well I admit it's been bothering me, so, is there, or was there, something between you and Leah?"

He chews his bottom lip a minute while he looks at her and decides, fuck it, he's just going to tell her the whole fuckin' story. "There damn near was. It was a few months ago when she first started comin' around the bar. We flirted n teased a lot while I was workin' n stuff. A couple of times we sat n had beers together when I got off work. But there was sumthin' off, sumthin' that told me ta proceed with caution, and I did. But I do think we were close to, ya know, gettin' together, n then one day her ex came ta town."

He has a small half-grin as he remembers it all, then shaking his head he goes on with the story, "They were together, and I mean that in all the ways men and women get together, drinkin', partying, and sleepin' together. They weren't keepin' any of it a secret. Then day number four come around and he just left n left her here. He went back ta some biker gang he belongs to outta state somewhere, and Leah, well she acted like she wanted ta just pick back up right where me n her had left off. I was a no-go on that. I mean shit, I didn't expect ta be her one n only forever man, but I also didn't wanna be the guy who would do til sumthin better came along."

Beth isn't sure what she should say to all that, she settles on, "I'm sorry."

He shrugs, "Don't be. That boyfriend comin' ta town saved my ass. Kept me from makin' a mistake and I'm grateful it happened like that. So, ya got nuthin' ta worry about when it comes ta Leah, it never happened, it never will happen. I ain't sorry it didn't."

He thinks they're done talking about that stuff, but she's still feeling insecure. The way the women were looking at him tonight, their eyes told the story. She's sure Daryl is a smart enough man; he saw it too. Beth doesn't doubt he could have half the women there tonight with a snap of his fingers, and not one of them who would kick him out of bed like she did.

She needs to just hear what he has to say about all this, find out before she gets in any deeper than she already is. "Daryl, I don't want to seem like I'm nagging you about this or anything, but gosh, it's just that I like you a lot and well, those women at the bar tonight and the way they looked at you, I guess you could say I'm intimidated by all that."

He rests his hands on her shoulders and says, "Don't be Beth. Leah was the closest I ever came ta havin' anythin' to do with any woman who hangs out at the bar. I make it a point not to. It just ain't good business, and Baby, c'mon, gimme a break. I ain't some mack daddy who's out with a different chick every night," he makes himself laugh, "Shit. I can't imagine. I ain't quite as innocent as you, but I ain't a player either."

He purses his lip, then chews at the bottom one a little, and then he goes all in, "I never have been serious about a particular woman, ya know, had a regular girlfriend or whatever, but I think I might like that with you. So, ya know, as far as all them other chicks go n whatnot like that, the way I feel about it, if you n me were ta be together, then I'm with you. Just you. K?"

She smiles, "Yes, and I would be the same."

"Then good, n I really don't wanna talk about it no more, except…I told ya all about me, what about you? How old are ya anyway?"

"I'll be 23 in February."

"Shit, you're a little young for an old sumbitch like me." He runs his forefinger softly along her jawline and smiles, "So, you tell me now, what about all the boyfriends you've had? Do I have ta worry about Johnny Appleseed showing up n kickin' my ass cuz I kissed ya?"

"Johnny Appleseed? Seriously Daryl?" But she can't keep from laughing, and then she answers, "No, you don't have to worry about Johnny, or my real exes, my high school sweetheart Jimmy, who married someone else as soon as we graduated, or Zach, he ran off with another woman not three days after he told me he loved me. Those were the only two guys I was ever really serious with. I've dated some others, but I just never found the man of my dreams."

Now he's laughing, "I sure as fuck can't imagine me bein' the man a your dreams."

"Well maybe at first I couldn't imagine it either, but I'm imagining it more all the time."

He's smiling now, "No shit?"

"No, I'm not kidding."

As they clean up their dishes he thinks to mention, "So, I had a plan ta do nuthin' tomorrow. I knew I'd be beat after tonight, so I got some stuff in the fridge ta make deli sandwiches and I was just gonna hang out n watch some football n chill. Ya wanna stay, hang out with me?"

Gosh, if he only knew. She never wants to leave here, and she had so much fun with the brothers last weekend, "Are you sure? I don't want to interfere with your plans like I did on Christmas."

He looks at her and shakes his head, "Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me? Merle an me both said, when you were here? That was the best Christmas we ever had."

"You're just teasing me now."

"Nah, I ain't, I wouldn't, not about that."

"Oh, um, well I had a wonderful Christmas thanks to you two, and yes, I'd like to hang out with you tomorrow."

His fingers twist gently through her hair as he assures her, "I hoped you'd want to." He kisses her hair and says, "I'm beat Baby. I gotta hit the sack. You ready?"

"Yes, I'm so tired too."

"Okay, you go on in n take my bed. I'll use the spare room."

"No, that's not fair Daryl. You sleep in your room, I'll take the spare bed."

"What ain't fair is that we ain't just both sleepin' in the same bed." He's teasing, but he can see she's not taking it like that. He cups her cheek in his hand and promises, "Hey, I's kiddin. Now go on in my room. I can sleep anywhere."

He takes her hand and walks her down the hallway to his room, stopping when he gets to the door. He's not going through, but he does lean her back up against the doorjamb, pressing his body close to hers, and as his fingers run through her hair and his hand cups the back of her head, he kisses her with a kind of fire she's never known. It seems the kiss will never end, and soon his arms wrap around her body and he's holding her so close it's like she's part of him. She can feel the warmth of his skin and the beating of his heart and she finds herself craving more of him. A touch a tease, more.

It's Daryl who eventually draws away and she can see the longing and the fire in his eyes, and she's pretty sure he must see it in her eyes too. He clutches her face, kisses her forehead and says, "I gotta stop, I gotta leave ya be. I'll see ya in the mornin'. Sleep in as late as ya want. We got all day off." He can't resist giving her one more deep and hungry kiss, and whispering, "Happy New Year Baby."

He's grateful to be so fucking tired or he'd be up all night thinking of the things he wants to do with that woman.

It doesn't matter that he didn't get to bed until 4:30, he's wide awake at 10a.m. He tries to keep the noise down as he makes his coffee, then goes in his office and gets the money from the safe and sits at his desk to do his book work.

He's done with that by 11:30, and there's a big grin on his face. Dirty Dixon's broke their record for one-night receipts last night. Damn, that's a good feeling.

He can't resist peeking in the doorway, and he smiles at the sight of her in his bed, all curled up in a little ball and sleeping soundly.

He grabs the pillow off the spare room bed and heads back out to the front room, mutes the TV and puts the game on. Who needs to listen to those know it all announcers anyway. He throws the pillow on the couch, grabs the blanket off the back of it and lays down to watch the game.

He's half dozing and doesn't even hear her soft footfalls when she comes walking in the room. She stands at the end of the couch, gives him a sleepy smile and says, "Good morning Daryl."

"Good afternoon,"he smiles back. Then he lifts the blanket and invites, "come n lay with me a while."

Should she? Maybe not, but she smiles as she walks over to him, slips under the blanket and lays with her back to him. His arm wraps around her waist and he pulls her to him, their bodies couldn't get any closer. He leans his head up, placing his lips to her ear, gives it a little kiss and says, "Ya fit just right Baby. I knew you would."

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A/N I think the New Year is starting off pretty darn good, what are your thoughts? Please leave a comment. The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with more of The Accidental Christmas, I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee