A/N: To the reviewer who said this story converted them to the Bethyl ship, you are wonderful, and welcome aboard! This ship is definitely sailing.

.

.

.

"Do you wanna come with me to this party at my brother's friend's house on Friday?" Molly asked Beth as they made their way out of Mr Brookes' class. They had survived their two hour lecture on Herman Melville, although barely. Whilst Beth absolutely loved reading, she had been astonished to discover just how tedious Brookes managed to make Moby Dick seem. It was any wonder students left his class alive, let alone with a 4.0.

"Uh… maybe?" Beth said noncommittally. It wasn't that she necessarily didn't want to go, but she wouldn't know anyone else going apart from Molly. She hadn't even met Terry yet, although she'd heard a lot about him.

"C'mon, don't be so boring," Molly teased. "It'll be fun!"

Beth sighed. "If I say no, is there any chance you'll just let it go?"

"Nope," Molly grinned.

"Alright, I'll go," Beth said, defeated. "But no drink driving, okay?"

Molly made some sort of squealing noise and nodded furiously, grabbing onto Beth like she was like holding on for dear life. "Of course not! And… Oh!"

"What?" Beth asked, looking around.

"Hot guy alert," Molly muttered, reaching one hand up to toss her hair out. Beth rolled her eyes. Really?

The guy ahead of them was definitely good looking. He was well-built, wearing dark jeans, a grey t-shirt and a navy baseball cap. He looked older than Molly or Beth, but definitely of college age. He smiled at the pair, waiting by the door ahead, holding it open for them to pass through.

"Evenin'," he said directly to Beth, as she and Molly crossed him. He was grinning down at her - she thought he must have been easily six foot.

"Hi," she smiled back shyly, peeping up at him through her lashes.

"Nice day," the man commented, as if they were in the habit of exchanging conversation. Molly stared across at Beth, open mouthed. Beth shot her a quick warning glare. Molly was many things, but subtle was not one of them.

"It is," Beth agreed, not sure what else to say. What else was there to say about a summer in Georgia? It hardly varied all that much. "Alright, well, bye."

"See ya," he replied, looking after her a little while before turning on his heel in the opposite direction. Beth could already sense Molly's excitement. Crap, she was not going to live this down.

"Who was that?" Molly asked eagerly, as soon as they were out of earshot. "How do you know him?"

"Stop talking so loudly!" Beth hissed, speaking through her teeth. "I don't know; I've never spoke to that man before in my life."

"Really? He was very cute," Molly giggled, scanning the hallway as if she suddenly expected him to reappear. "You should ask him out or somethin'."

"Molly, I don't even know his name," Beth admonished, exasperated. "I am not about ta ask some random guy out. He was cute though, you're right. Anyway, let's go grab some lunch, I am starvin'. What you want to eat? Is it real hot in here or is that just me?"

"Alright," Molly agreed, a wide grin on her face. "Whatever you say."

.

.

.

Unfortunately, Molly didn't shut up about mystery boy. Driving home, Beth realised that she needed to find Molly a distraction and fast. She didn't know how the girl had ever coped with being single. It had been three months or so since Beth had split up with Jimmy, but she wasn't really looking for anyone else just yet. It felt right being single right now. Besides… she had found herself thinking about her gruff next door neighbour a little too often. Since her last clash with Daryl a week ago, they'd only waved and exchanged greetings on her way to and from college. He was like a puzzle she was just itching to get to the bottom of. Unfortunately, she doubted she'd ever really get the chance.

"Maggie, Glenn! I got pizza!" she hollered as she walked through the front door. Maggie had sent her a text earlier, asking if she could pick up a couple of pizzas on the way home from college as she didn't feel like cooking.

Maggie had just taken an administrative job at a graduate recruitment agency in Marietta, the next town over. They'd all been taking it easy with the cooking this week, ordering lots of takeout, as Beth and Maggie were both so busy adjusting to their new lifestyles.

"In here!" Glenn called from the living room. Beth could hear the sounds of frantically tapped buttons and gunshots, which meant he was clearly on his xbox again. Glenn mostly worked nights so he was free during the day, meaning that Beth usually walked into the living room to find him sat on the couch, shooting things.

What Beth didn't expect to see when she walked in was the backs of two male heads on the couch.

"Daryl?" she said disbelievingly, almost dropping the pizza boxes in her hands. "I'm sorry, I… I didn't know you were joinin' us."

Daryl and Glenn both looked up, spotting Beth. Daryl put his controller down and stood up to face her, video game forgotten.

"Glenn, err… invited me over," he gruffed, looking a little sheepish. She wondered if he still felt a little embarrassed after their last real conversation, although Beth had already quite forgiven him. "Thought ya knew," he added irritably, shooting Glenn a pissed look, to which Glenn kindly paid no notice.

"Well I'm glad you came," Beth replied, smiling warmly. "It's nice to see ya again."

"It is?" Daryl asked, looking like he wasn't too sure of that himself.

"Yeah, of course it is," she reassured. "Where's Jax?"

"He's here… Sleepin' in his carrier. Maggie's been cooing over 'im in the kitchen."

Beth laughed. "Somehow, that don't surprise me."

There was a lull in conversation which Daryl made no effort to break. She wondered if he did this with other people too - just drift off halfway through a conversation. Beth cleared her throat.

"Well, alright boys, let's eat. Glenn! Stop killin' things for two minutes."

"But Beth," Glenn whined. "It's my new game, Left 4 Dead. I'm so badass at killing zombies! I've already completed the campaign mode twice."

"I don't care. I want pizza. So does Daryl."

"Yes ma'am," Daryl affirmed.

"Daryl just doesn't like playing because he can't kill shit on this game," Glenn sassed, reluctantly packing up the controllers and game cases.

"Fuck off, Rhee." Daryl scoffed, lobbing a cushion at his head. "The game ain't even realistic. Guns lyin' all over the place, multiple respawns…"

"Oh so you'd be great in a real apocalypse, it's just the unlimited guns that's the problem."

Daryl snorted. "Naw, look here ya idiot -"

Beth stood there with her hands on her hips, looking at them both exasperatedly. It was like being in a house with toddlers, not fully grown men. She rather suspected Jackson was already more mature than Glenn and his daddy. She looked up at the doorway to see Maggie standing there, looking equally bemused. Maggie rolled her eyes at Beth. Men.

Beth shrugged at her and picked up the pizza boxes off the coffee table, heading in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the bickering men behind.

"When you two are done measuring your manhoods, I'll be in the kitchen with Beth and Jax," Maggie's voice called from the doorway.

.

.

.

It was so relaxing, just the four of them, hanging out in the kitchen. The kitchen had always been Beth's favourite place in a house; she could remember the days when she, Maggie and Shawn would all pile in and sit at the counter chatting nonsense while Annette baked up scrumptious pies using the fruit that grew in their garden.

Beth sighed. She missed her mom.

At the table, Maggie was picking Daryl's brains about her car. It was an old Toyota that had seen better days, but the steering wheel had recently been very stiff to turn; she struggled to make it lock in full-circle.

"I'm back at the garage on Saturday, bring her along sometime and I'll take a look," Daryl offered, shrugging casually. "Sure it ain't nothin' major."

"You're starting work again?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, Saturday."

"What are you going to do about Jackson?" Maggie questioned, indicating the sleeping bundle in his carrier next to them.

"I dunno yet," Daryl grunted. "Been speakin' to an agency. Most sitters don't wanna do Saturdays, that's the problem. I'm part-time, so I only gotta work four days a week, one of 'em is a half day, so ain't too much time I need."

"How much time?" Beth asked quickly.

"Three and half days," Daryl shrugged. "Why?"

"I could look after Jax...?" Beth suggested, pizza in her hand suddenly forgotten. "I mean, I babysat all through high school. I like doing it."

Daryl looked slightly taken aback by her suggestion, as if she'd just offered to jump on the table and strip naked for him. He seemed to consider her for a moment, before he shook his head.

"I couldn't ask ya to do that. You've got college to think of."

"Yeah," agreed Maggie, a warning tone to her voice. "Co-llege. Where you study? Not look after babies?"

"Maggie," Beth hissed back. If there was one thing guaranteed to set off Beth's temper, it was her sister treating her like a child incapable of making decisions.

"Look, I've only got college Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays I'm out by one. It could work. I'll take him for the other three and a half days," she explained, getting more and more animated as she thought her plan through.

"I dunno…" Daryl began.

"It's perfect! I live next door, what's more convenient than that? Plus, this way I can save up a little extra for college and… Unless… Oh god!" Beth exclaimed, suddenly mortified as a horrid thought crept into her head. "You might not even want me lookin' after Jax, seein' as I've got no professional training and all. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be so presumptuous."

Daryl shook his head a little too quickly. "Naw, I trust ya with Jax. It's not that at all."

"Then what?" Beth asked, her voice sounding hopeful.

Daryl looked extremely reluctant to answer. When he realised they were all waiting for him to speak and weren't just gonna let it drop, he sighed. "I just don't wanna ruin your college experience by saddlin' ya with a baby that ain't yours."

Beth frowned to herself. While it was true, that if she was looking after Jackson she wouldn't be able to fall through the front door at three in the morning after a heavy night at Thirsty Thursdays… but that was never really Beth's style anyway. She liked to go to parties once in a while, but she'd never been a crazy party girl. If anything, her friends thought she was too straight-laced. Even to herself, she didn't really understand why she wanted to help Daryl out so much, but she somehow instinctively knew that doing that would make her happier than any dumb college party.

Beth touched his arm with her hand. "You ain't ruining anything," she said truthfully.

Daryl's eyes whipped down to stare at the hand touching his arm, as if he was worried that it would suddenly start trying to strangle him. He looked so unsettled that she had to resist the urge to laugh, knowing it wouldn't go down well. She slowly drew her hand away, turning her attention back to Maggie and Glenn, who were looking at each other, as if having some sort of silent argument.

"I fink itssa great plunn," Glenn mumbled through a mouthful of pizza.

"Glenn! Close ya mouth," Maggie scolded, smacking his thigh.

"What?" Glenn asked, coughing on the chunk in his throat. "I think it's good. Beth loves babies and this way her and Daryl can… Err, it's good for both of 'em."

Maggie looked suspiciously at her boyfriend. "It is, is it?"

"Yeah, I mean Mags, just look at the pair of..." Glenn broke off mid-sentence under the force of Maggie's furious glare. "...I mean, if Daryl and Beth think it's a good idea, so should we. Up to them, ain't it?"

Maggie groaned in resignation. "Well, I guess you're right… It's Bethy's life, not mine. As long as it won't get in the way of her studyin', daddy'll probably be thrilled she's got a reason ta stay away from too many drunken college parties."

Beth grinned, privately extremely relieved that her sister wasn't going to embarrass her by insisting she couldn't. "Yep, exactly."

"Have I even gotta choice?" Daryl asked, looking from one meddling Greene sister to the other.

"Nope," they said in unison.

"Jesus," Daryl groused, although the small smirk on his lips gave him away. "Alright. Ya wanna come by Saturday morning round eight, I'll fill ya in on his routine 'n shit? Not too early for ya teenage brain?"

"Eight's fine. Need me to remind ya? I know old people forget things a lot," Beth teased back. Daryl's nostrils flared. Unlike most college students, Beth had spent all her life growing up on a farm, so getting up early wasn't any trouble for her. If anything, eight was a lie-in.

The decision made - and really, Daryl mused to himself, how did he already end up in so deep with one family? - the four of them went back to debating Glenn's video game and who would survive the longest in a Zombie apocalypse. Glenn had some very interesting theories involving cellophane wrap and baseball bats. Maggie went to grab the last slice of pizza until Glenn suddenly snatched it out of her hand. Maggie swore loudly and reached up to grab it back, resulting in the two grappling with each other.

Beth side-eyed Daryl as if to say this is what I have to live with.

Daryl rolled his eyes back in sympathy but he found he couldn't really feel sorry for Beth. He couldn't help thinking that if this had been his worst problem growing up, watching Merle bickering over pizza with his main squeeze, his young adult life would've been pretty sweet.

Maggie and Glenn's fight over who got the last slice of pizza suddenly got a bit out of control, waking a groggy Jackson up from his nap. Everyone froze, waiting to see if he was going to back to sleep. Just when they thought he would, his snuffling noises escalated and he began to wail. Violently.

"Aw, Jax man," Daryl sighed, resigned to his fate. "It's alright, I got ya, baby boy," he said, reaching over to pull the screaming Jackson out of his carrier. "Unless..."

He looked up at Beth hopefully.

"So, uh, you wanna start now or what?"

Maggie burst out laughing.

.

.

.

A/N: Glenn is 100% a Bethyl fanboy. I don't even question it. I used to live in a house with several twenty-something boys and trust me - they don't grow up. These guys all have high-paying jobs in the city and still spend their evenings running around trying to teabag each other and arguing over who is better at Fifa. And yeah, I know Beth has got the fantasy freshman schedule, which I never managed to swing at registration, but sssshh. Who's the mystery boy Beth spoke to? Hmm?