A/N Thank you all so much. Let's see how they do finding a tree.
The Christmas Tree
His finger slides under her chin, nudging it up so he can look in her eyes when he asks, "Ya serious lady?"
"Well of course I am Daryl. We should have a Christmas tree," she reiterates that, "It doesn't have to be huge. Just a nice little tree we can enjoy for the holidays. And Daryl, the fragrance, oh my goodness, the cabin is going to smell so wonderful."
"I thought it already smelled just fine."
She chuckles as her hand caresses his face, "Well it does. It's the most special place I've ever lived, and it always smells nice," then she does her best to explain to him what's in her heart, "Gosh Daryl, the world has changed so much and it's horrible and nothing will ever be the same. We're going to be hiding up here on this mountain forever and I've accepted that, but I still believe in Christmas. I still believe in what happened on Christmas day more than 2000 years ago, and I still want to celebrate. I want a tree, I want to be with the people I love, I want a festive dinner, and I want to sing Christmas carols."
Well fuck him, how the hell is he going to say no to that? Simple, he's not, "A'ight, I'll get ya a tree. Can I just have the next couple days ta get the access door in for Merle and Frankie, get that ATV fixed up and the duck coop insulated?"
She's all smiles now, "Of course you can, and I plan to help you with everything. I'm perfectly capable of working on that duck coop. It won't take long and then I'll help you with the door."
"Okay, ya got a deal, but you're goin' with me ta get the damn tree. I ain't comin' home with the wrong one."
She laughs a little, she did plan to go, but there's some concern in her voice when she asks, "Am I really that mean to you Daryl? Do I complain a lot?"
"Oh hell no, it ain't that. Sometimes I think you're too damn sweet and ya put up with too much. It's just, well I never had a Christmas tree so I wouldn't know what ya want, and I don't wanna pick the wrong thing. I just want ya ta be happy is all."
She kisses him tenderly and tells him, "How about this idea? We'll work hard tomorrow and get the bathroom access and the coop done. Well, the bathroom might not be perfect, but it will be good enough to use the potty. The next day we'll get the ATV running, and take it to get our tree. It shouldn't take too long to find a nice tree, we're surrounded by them. We'll have like a million to choose from and we're only looking for one little three footer."
She's talking so fast and she seems so excited and he really doesn't get it. He's going along though, "A'ight, sounds good, now get ta sleep lady," But the kiss he gives her has both of them thinking about things besides coops, carpentry, Christmas trees, or going to sleep.
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It's not his proudest work but that's okay. The big news is, as far as Daryl is concerned it's good enough for right now. They finished the access door from Merle's and Frankie's bathroom into their home. They don't have to go outside or use the pots. He'll work on it again after he gets Beth that tree. He'll finish the door off and make sure it looks real nice. For now, Frankie and Merle will be able to use the composting toilet, but that's it. The bathroom won't really be done for a while. Daryl can't run water for the sink until spring, the ground's too frozen for digging trenches and burying pipe. The other problem is, it's colder than all get out in that damn bathroom. It'll have to stay that way until Merle's feeling a little better, then they'll get the woodstove installed. In the meantime, it still beats stepping outside in the middle of the night.
The thought goes through Daryl's mind, there's always so much work to do up here on the mountain, but things really are coming together and so far they've had everything they need. He's damn glad he decided to make the mountain his home. It's how they survive.
Beth got the duck coop done under Jack's supervision. The poor dog stood on the other side of the fence wanting to be in there with her and those ducks so bad. Beth would have let him in too, but there was a problem. He'd be such a distraction to her she'd never get the job done, and boy, did she want to get the job done. She wants to go tree hunting tomorrow.
As soon as she finishes with the coop she gives Jack fifteen minutes of her undivided attention. First roughing his neck and scratching his back, then throwing a stick for him to retrieve, over and over again.
"Okay now boy, I have to help your Dad with that darn door."
By the time the time the sun is going down Daryl, Beth and Jack are all tired and hungry. They say their goodnights to Merle and Frankie, and with the air as cold as it is they make the walk home quickly, then settle in at their cabin for dinner. Once the kitchen is clean, Daryl stokes the fire and they sit in their chairs to read. Daryl's reading an historical book about the Viet Nam War. Well mostly he's studying the two chapters devoted to Booby Traps, they were among the most dreaded and deadly weapons of that particular war. Beth is reading a book of poetry.
An hour later, Daryl is gently shaking her shoulder, "C'mon lady, we fell asleep. Might as well hit the sack."
"Oh my gosh, okay. I'll go get ready for bed."
"Would ya mind adding a couple logs ta the fire while you're in there? I'ma take Jack out."
"Sure, of course."
They snuggle under the covers and Daryl's mind is busy. He's going to get that ATV going first thing, then they're going to get that damn tree. She's so fucking excited he can't quite believe it, and damn, it must be contagious because he's feeling excited for her. If a little tree is all it takes to make her happy, he'll get her all the fucking trees she wants.
Morning arrives quickly. They've both noticed that these long, cold days of physical work have them in bed early and sleeping like a couple of rocks, and up again before daylight the next morning. As they're eating their grits and enjoying their coffee she asks, "Is there anything I can do to help with the ATV?"
"Nah, you do what you gotta do and as soon as that thing is hummin', we'll go." He takes a swallow of coffee and adds, "Just so ya know, I ain't goin' further than about two miles from home. Just in case sumthin' goes wrong and the ATV shits out again, we'll be able ta walk home. I wanna get ya a nice tree, but I ain't takin' chances with ya."
"That's fine Daryl, really. We could probably take a little walk around the property and find something that would work just fine. I just thought it might be fun to go tree hunting, but I don't want to take any chances either. We don't have to go."
"Nah, we'll go. I want to lady, with you. We just ain't goin' far. K?"
"Yes, I can't wait, and thank you Daryl."
"You ain't gotta thank me Beth, it's my job ta get ya the things ya want. It's gonna be colder than a bitch though, so bundle up. That long underwear ya got with the flowers on em would be a real good idea."
She smiles at him, "I love you Mister Dixon, and I will definitely be bundled up."
"A'ight, sun's breakin', I'ma get out there." He slides his chair back, drains what's left in the coffee mug, and leans down to kiss her hair, "I love you too Mrs. Dixon."
She stands to hug him before he goes, and as she watches him walking out the door Beth's thinking to herself, Mrs. Dixon? Neither ofr them has ever said anything like that, like they're married or something. It's just not possible, not like in the days before the world ended. But yes, they're committed to each other in their hearts and every other way. The thought makes her smile, she is Mrs. Dixon. It would be nice to have the official document and the ring, but with the way things have happened, she understands that just can't be.
While he's outside working she's got her own little project in the house. She set all of those special fabric pieces aside, storing them in a shirt box and slipping it under the bookcase. She pulls the box out now and looking at the pieces she remembers how she loved them all and wondered if she would, or even could, ever use any of them. Now? She's smiling knowing she'll use all of them.
She slides the box back under the bookcase and gets busy. She's decided they should have their lunch while they're out tree hunting. She gets a piece of aluminum foil she's washed and reused more times than she can count, and wraps up what's left of their meat from last night's dinner.
There are just two fresh apples left, after they eat them there will never be any more, not unless they find trees or they manage to grow trees. Both of those scenarios are very unlikely. So, today out tree hunting they'll eat what are likely the very last fresh apples they will ever have in their lives.
There are still packaged cookies they took from the breakroom at the construction company, and she takes two packs. One is called lemon crème and the other is Oreos. They'll share. The last thing she does is climb up on the chair so that she can reach the highest shelf in the cabinet to get Daryl's old green Thermos. It's a throwback to his days working construction and still a very handy item to have. She smiles as she carefully pours the powder from two cocoa packets into the Thermos, and then adds the steaming water from the kettle on the woodstove.
This is the last of the cocoa as well. She tries not to feel sad. She tells herself, yes, it is the last they will have of these things they enjoy from their old life, but it's just the beginning of many new things they'll enjoy in this world. She's grateful she's sharing whatever time they have left with Daryl.
Beth's just screwing the cap on the Thermos bottle when the door opens and he smiles, "Your limo's waitin' right out front, lady."
"Yay! I can't wait, just let me get my coat, hat, gloves, you know the routine."
She quickly puts on her winter gear and as they begin walking out, Jack follows, but Daryl says, "No Jack, not this time, you wait here."
The dog looks so pitiful and Beth says, "C'mon Daryl, let him come, he'll have fun playing in the fresh snow."
Daryl points through the door, "Look at that thing Beth, we can't all ride on that."
"Sure we can. We all did before. You drove, Jack laid in front of you, a deer laid behind you, and I laid in the little trailer. Today, Jack can ride in front of you, I'll ride behind you, and you'll be so darn warm and cozy. I'm kind of jealous, really, I am."
"Watch yourself or you'll be drivin'."
"I will if you want me too."
"Am I ever gonna win one of these deals?"
She smiles, takes his face in her hands and kisses him deeply, "Yes, you're going to win almost all of them., but not this one."
"Oh yeah? Well if you don't stop kissin' me like that we ain't goin' nowhere but back to bed."
"I'll stop then, but just for now. Don't count on that later."
He laughs, giving here a quick kiss and saying, "Sounds like a promise ta me. A'ight you two, let's go."
Just as they're all mounting the ATV Frankie calls out, "Hey, where are you guys going?"
"Daryl calls back, "Goin' ta get ourselves a Christmas tree."
"Oh, gosh, how nice, have fun." Even Daryl hears the sadness in her tone, and he knows Beth will be having him bring a tree back for Frankie too.
Beth has no recollection of her first trip on the ATV, how could she have known how exhilarating it would be to ride on the back of the three-wheeled ATV. It almost feels like they're flying through the virgin snow, and the poofs of powder it makes have her smiling from ear to ear and holding on to him tighter and tighter. Not because she's afraid, but because she's having the time of her life and she's so darn glad to be having it with Daryl.
Daryl is having a damn good time himself. He hasn't ridden the ATV just for fun in years, even though that's what he originally purchased it for. For fun. But over the years, and especially since he's been on the mountain, the toy became a work vehicle. Hauling him and the animals he harvests.
Shit, and now he's going to make the thing into a real workhorse, a snowplow. It isn't one yet though, and this ride, and the sound of her giggling and laughing behind him while she hangs on tight, it's taught him something. He doesn't know how much time they have, how long they'll be able to survive in this new world. But whatever time they have they can't just spend it all working; they have to spend time having fun too. Beth deserves that, and dammit, so does he. He smiles at the reality, there's no one he'd rather have fun with than her.
He knows the spot. This mountain is covered with trees, shit, they're everywhere, but there's an area that's all new growth. There was a small lightening caused fire that took out a few acres sometime back. That's where he's sure they'll find her three foot Christmas tree, there among the new growth.
As they approach he's smiling, oh hell yeah, plenty to choose from. He cuts the engine, Jack jumps off into the soft snow, and Daryl tells Beth, "Here it is lady, the Christmas tree farm. Let's get to huntin'."
Her smile is so big and pretty when she tells him, "Oh this is perfect Daryl, I already see several that are exactly what I want."
"Okay then, pick one for you, one for Frankie and I'll cut em down."
"Should we have lunch first?"
"Lunch? Is that what ya got in that backpack?"
"It sure is."
"Hell yeah, let's eat. I'm hungry as that ol bear's gonna be this spring."
Even if he brushed the snow off a log or boulder, it would be too damn cold to sit on. They opt for just standing and leaning against the three wheeler, using it's seat for a table. When he takes a bite of the apple she tells him what she thought of when she packed up their little lunch, "These are it Daryl, our last two fresh apples." Then she hands him the Thermos cup and tells him the rest of the bad news, "And this is the last of our cocoa mix."
He swallows a mouthful, then begins chewing at his lip as he stares squint-eyed off into the distance. He nods his head and speaks, "Yeah, we probably won't ever get anymore chocolate, it don't grow on trees around these parts, but apples do. Ya know, not far from here, twenty-five miles tops, it's all farm country. Lotsa orchards n whatnot. Them fruit trees and all them other crops, that stuff's gonna keep growin' whether dead people are walkin' around or not. I know I said we'd never go down the mountain again, but maybe I will. Just me. I can make it fast and I can be sneaky. Come summer, you tell me when you think it's harvest time. I bet you even know which direction ta point me in ta find some farms. I'll load up the bed of my pickup with every kind of fruit and veg I can find," He smiles then, "Even Brussels sprouts for them ducks of yours, if I find any. Whaddya think?"
"I have a lot of feelings about it. First of all, I love the idea of you coming home with a truckload of produce for the four of us to can, but I don't like the risk part of it. I also don't like the idea of you going alone. I would want to go with you. Merle can keep Jack and you and I will go."
"Nah Beth, uh…"
"No, this is another one you won't win Daryl. If it goes wrong, if you get killed then I'll no-doubt get killed with you. I can accept that it may happen, as long as we're together. What I could never accept is, if you went down that mountain alone and never came home."
He wraps her in his arm and they hold each other tightly as they think about the enormity of what she just said. Eventually Daryl draws back and states, "A'ight, well we ain't gotta decide right now. It ain't anywhere near summer yet. We're here for Christmas trees, not apples."
She wraps her arm through his and agrees, "That's right, and I'm going to make it easy for you. I can see the two I want from here. We can walk right to them." Then she reminds him, "And we're going to have some fruits and vegetables of our own you know. I feel confident that if we don't get anything else to grow in that greenhouse, at the very least we'll get tomatoes, cucumbers and some lettuces, and gosh, we've already grown enough herbs to last us through summer, and they just keep growing in that kitchen window, it must be the perfect light. We should situate the greenhouse so it gets the same exposure as that window."
"Sounds good ta me. I can't wait ta get the thing built." He checks his pistol, gets the axe, grateful a small tree won't have too big a trunk and says, "Okay, start walkin' lady, take me to the perfect tree."
Daryl's got the first tree down when he hears a threatening sound from Jack. A growl that seems to come from somewhere deep inside the dog. Daryl reacts immediately, turning to look while his hand grips the pistol butt.
Shit, it's a fucking coyote and the mangy thing and Jack are doing a dance of threatening moves and sounds and then they both seem to pounce at once. There's fighting, yelping and snarling, and Daryl has to get close to the animals to make sure he gets the coyote and doesn't hit Jack. He shoots the thing in the head and jack backs away, turns to his owner with a look Daryl would swear says, "Why'd ya do that? I had his ass."
Daryl goes to Jack and while he's checking him for bites he's also giving him back scratches, roughing his fur and apologizing, "Sorry fella, I'm sure ya coulda kicked his ass, but we ain't got time for fightin' right now." Beth is quiet, this moment is between Daryl and his dog. She's just taking it all in while saying a prayer of gratitude that Jack is unharmed.
Forty minutes later the three of them are back home with two Christmas trees in the trailer, and Daryl says, "I'll level out where I cut em and get some boards ta make stands. Why don't ya tell Frankie ta pick a spot where she wants me ta set hers."
Twenty minutes later Frankie has a tree in her little home, and Beth has one in the cabin, "Oh Daryl, I love it!"
He's smiling as he points out, "Yeah, well, ya didn't pick a three-footer, that thing is at least four n half feet. It fits though, and you're right, it's real pretty, and it smells good too." His arm slides around her waist as they stand admiring the tree and he asks, "What ya gonna do with it now?"
"You'll see."
"Yeah, I bet, okay. I'ma go put that ATV away, then I think I got time ta start on a shelter for the turkeys. I wanna get all this little shit done so I can get started on that greenhouse." He doesn't mention booby traps right now, there's plenty of time to worry about shit like that after she's had her fun with Christmas.
Her arms wrap around his waist and she holds him tight, and he begins to rub her back as she speaks, "Thank you so much for today Daryl. The ride was so fun and gosh, just being out and enjoying life.I loved it."
"I loved it too lady. In fact, I's thinkin', we gotta do that shit more. If the weather holds we'll go again in a couple days, even if it's just for an hour or two."
"That sounds wonderful. Tomorrow, I'm going to be inside at the sewing machine all day. After a day of that, I'll be ready to get out in the fresh air."
"Sounds good." He kisses her forehead and says, "I'm out."
"I'll have dinner waiting when you get home."
Two minutes after Daryl's gone Frankie's knocking on the door, "Thank you so much Beth. I wasn't expecting a tree. It's beautiful and I love it. It smells so delicious. So, now the question is, decorations. What are you going to use?"
Beth explains and Frankie smiles, "You're so talented. Maybe you can show me all of that sometime. For now, there's a big basket of pine cones in that kitchen area. Merle said they're used for fire starters. I'm going to use them for Christmas tree ornaments."
"That's a great idea Frankie, and you know, out in the tool shed there are two huge pails of white barn paint. It probably wouldn't take more than a cupful or two for you to paint the tips of the cones white, like they have snow on them. That would look so festive."
"Gosh yes, that's my project for tomorrow. Thanks again Beth."
Daryl and Beth crawl into bed and she curls up close to him, her head laying on his shoulder as his arm wraps around her. He kisses her curls and remarks, "Dang, that tree does smell good. It's like we're campin' in the woods, except better. It's a 100 times warmer and a helluva lot more comfortable."
The next morning, as soon as Daryl's out the door, Beth makes her solution for stiffening the fabric. She feels a little bit guilty for wasting sugar, but it's only a cup and they've got so much sugar it should last them a few years. Besides, if it brings them a little happiness is it really wasting? Once the sugar water has boiled she takes it off the stove, making sure all the sugar has thoroughly dissolved.
She retrieves the shirt box stored under the bookcase, the one where she keeps all the Christmas fabric. She takes the squares right on top, two of them white satin, two of them white lace. It's unusual Erma would have had fabric squares like this, but maybe they were something she saved from her wedding dress. That's what Beth decides to believe. It will make the ornaments even more special.
The first one she cuts is the angel for the top of the tree. She covers the white satin angel with a layer of lace, stitches them together and smiles. Perfect. Then she carefully lays the angel in the pan of cooled sugar water to stiffen. She uses the remaining satin and lace to cut stars and snowflakes, and she'll stiffen those too.
While she waits for her lace ornaments to dry, she moves on. Erma had a lot of cute Christmas fabric and Beth is sewing it into ornaments. There are gingerbread people, stars and balls, and one is even in the shape of the cabin.
She stitches the pieces together leaving a small opening where she'll stuff them with cotton so they're nice and full. There was so much cotton in the medical supplies, and she has no idea what they'd ever use it all for, but it will make nice plump ornaments, and there will still be a lot of cotton left.
When Daryl comes in for lunch he sees the stars and the angel drying and comments, "You've been busy. Havin' fun?"
"I'm having so much fun Daryl, and tonight, after dinner, you can help me hang the all ornaments on the tree. Except for the angel of course, she goes on top."
He looks at her and he means what he says, "Ya always make everythin' kinda fun and special Beth. I never had a Christmas tree, shit, I never really had a Christmas. I like this with you, thanks lady."
That night when they crawl in bed they don't turn the lamp off right away. They lay on their sides, facing their tree with Daryl spooning her as they admire the beauty of it. She tells him then, "Daryl, this is such a special gift you've given me. I never really thought I'd have Christmas again. Now I'm so excited and so happy to share your first Christmas with you."
He holds her tighter when he answers, "I never thought I'd ever have a Christmas, period. I always told myself I didn't care nuthin' about it, it was just a holiday with people spending all their money on shit they don't need. You changed my mind lady. I'm lookin' forward ta spendin' Christmas with you."
She's so happy, then out of the blue she asks him the question that's been on her mind since yesterday, "Daryl, do you think we're married?"
He's a little surprised by the question but he tells her what he feels, "Didn't I say I loved ya?"
"Yes."
"And didn't ya say ya love me?"
"Yes."
"Didn't we say we was gonna stay together for as long as we live?"
"Yes."
"Well if that ain't marriage then what the hell is?"
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A/N Next week, Christmas! Please leave a comment. The chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, I hope you'll take a look. Until the next chapter, remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee