A/N: Hi guys, so maybe I shouldn't be starting ANOTHER story, but I just couldn't resist this one. I do have another zillion ideas that are waiting to be penned, but this has pushed it's way to the front. Hope you all enjoy :-)

Summary: Daryl Dixon and responsibility never did mix well. Spending most of his time in trouble with the law, he knew he was heading nowhere fast. But when quirky Beth Greene, a young wheelchair bound country girl moves in across the hall, she is determined to show Daryl that living and existing are two very different things. What he needed was a friend. What he got was so much more.

Disclaimer: Alas, I own nothing

Inspired by the film 'Inside I'm Dancing'

...…

Life moves pretty fast. If You don't stop and look around once in a while,
You could miss it - Ferris Bueller

Inside I'm Dancing

Chapter One

There was no telling what year it was let alone what time it was when he slowly peered out from under the comforter; the bright autumn sun which filtered through the broken blinds, threatening to burn out his corneas at any given moment. With one eye cracked open, he almost found himself too scared to check out the damage from the previous night; the memories of fast flowing liquor sending a shiver up his spine and a pounding to his head. What the hell did I do last night? Finding the courage to sit up (slowly, of course), Daryl couldn't help but wince slightly. The room (which he vaguely identified as being his bedroom), was littered with more crushed food containers and empty beer cans than he was sure he had seen in his entire life.

"Aw, you've gotta be kiddin' me..." Was his mumbled groan as he pulled the covers back over his head, the idea of staying in bed till Christmas seeming very appealing to him at that moment "Smells like somethin' died in here."

Daryl fought hard to ignore the pounding in his head; a wave of nausea washing over him as he less than gracefully burrowed himself back into his cocoon of covers. Pressing his knuckles to his lips in an effort to keep down whatever the hell he had stuffed his face with the night before, he was quickly greeted with a throbbing pain in his hand. Bruised and bloodied knuckles. Great. He could only pray that an assault charge wasn't waiting patiently for him.

With another groan Daryl angrily pulled his pillow over his head, the dull ticking of his useless alarm clock enough to make him stick Aspirin at the top of his wish list. He didn't know how long he continued to lie there in his make shift tent, or even how long he was going to. Every small turn he made felt like he was canon-balling into the rapids at the water park. Made him feel like his head was being slammed in the car door...repeatedly. But just when he thought that the day couldn't get any worse, and that there was nothing that could be thrown at him that could make him feel any more lousy than he already did, he was quickly proven wrong.

"Rise and shine Sleepin' Beauty!" Came the roar as his room door flew open, the loud crash as it bounced off the wall enough (he was pretty sure) to concuss him "It's a beautiful day outside!"

"Ugh. Fuck off, Merle..." Was the only intellectual thing he could muster up as he pulled the covers tighter round his head "Can't you see I'm dyin' here?"

With an overly exaggerated chuckle, Merle wasted no time in grabbing the bottom of his little brother's comforter and whisking it away from him. Clad in nothing but his boxers, the sudden chill in the air caused Daryl to draw his knees up to his chest, a slight moan escaping past his lips. Fighting the urge to crawl under the fitted sheet of his mattress, he slowly lifted his head to send his brother (what he hoped to be) the mother of all 'death glares'.

"What!?" He spat through gritted teeth "What is it, Merle? WHAT!?"

"Well well well..." Merle smirked, crossing over to the window to open the blinds "Ain't we a ray of fuckin' sunshine this mornin'?"

Unable to win the battle with gravity, Daryl fell back against his mattress with a thud, his arms quickly covering his eyes from the dreaded sunlight as he let out a small whimper. All he wanted was his blanket and a bucket.

"Why do I drink?" He moaned, peaking out slightly to look at his rather bemused brother "I can't remember a damn thing. I wake up this mornin' to find this placed trashed and my hand the size of a boxin' glove..." Forcing back the fresh wave of nausea, he lifted his head slightly "What the hell did I do?"

"Well..." Merle began, leaning against the frame at the bottom of the bed "If you can draw your attention all the way back to yesterday, you may remember that it was pay day! Woo-hoo! And because it was pay day, you thought it would be idealistic to squander all your money on junk food and booze."

"...Sounds plausible..." Daryl muttered, his head falling back down "And the hand?"

"Picked a fight with a fire hydrant..." Merle replied with a firm nod "Fire hydrant won..." He couldn't hold back his chuckle at his baby brother's loud groan of embarrassment "Hey now, if it helps at all, I thought it was frickin' hilarious!"

But all Daryl could do was growl into his hands, the sound of his brothers laughter causing his fists to clench. Deciding it was better to face the queasiness than to succumb to the brunt of Merle's jokes, he slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and running a hand through his messy hair. With the dirtiest look he could fathom, Daryl glared at his brother before pulling himself to his feet, the room spinning and his stomach lurching as he attempted to regain some form of balance.

"There we go! You're lookin' better already!" Merle exclaimed in an overly patronizing tone as he headed for the door "Now get dressed, we'll meet you out front in ten."

With a deep sigh, Daryl bent to pick up his t-shirt, a quick sniff letting him know that it was clean enough. He didn't need to ask who the 'we' were. Martinez (the biggest asshole if ever there was one) was one of Merle's oldest friends, and one of Daryl's oldest pains. He couldn't remember a time where they actually managed to get on longer than half an hour, but where Martinez was, there was steady work. Granted (more often than not) the work was a tad bit on the 'illegal' side, but it paid well, and that's all that mattered in Daryl's opinion. There was no doubt in his mind when he went outside he was walking into another job.

Pulling his jeans up and slipping his battered Doc's on, Daryl grabbed his half pack of cigarettes off the bedside table and quickly lit one. Whoever discovered nicotine was a god as far as he was concerned. With cigarette dangling haphazardly between his lips, he couldn't help but groan yet again as he slung on his heavy black duffel; the sleeves a little grubby, he noticed, as he fished around in the pocket for his Ray Bans. There was no doubt in his mind that Ray Bans were a gift from God to whoever fell victim to Tequila.

Making his way out his small apartment, Daryl could already feel the gravitational pull between him and his bed kick in. He was certain that locking his front door was the most difficult thing he would face that morning. As soon as he got his morning coffee (and regained the ability to stand up straight for more than 10 seconds), he was going to kick Merle's ass.

Drawing himself away from the door, Daryl couldn't stop the deep growl in his chest from bursting forth when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps bounding up the stairwell, the echoed voice of 'The Idiot' (Zach to most), sounding off in the nearby distance. Wasting no time, Daryl rummaged in the pockets of his jeans until he found the swiped key to the empty apartment across from his; a blessing, Daryl admitted. It wasn't that he deliberately went out his way to piss his landlord off, it just seemed to work out that way. Ever since he had moved in to the rundown apartment complex three years prior, Daryl and regular rent payments were something that was becoming an increasing problem for 'The Idiot'. Half payments one month and no payments the next were happening all too often, and Daryl was convinced that with one more strike, he would be out. Until he was able to scrape the money he owed together, he was stuck leaving and entering via the fire escape; but with a busted window in his own apartment, the neighbouring one had to do.

It was a nice apartment, the one across from his. Very new and modern. He'd heard and seen the many builders working on it over the past few weeks. Dodging them while using the window service had almost been an art form. Over the weeks Daryl had watched as the old 70's style kitchen had been torn out and replaced with new purple units and shiny cream counters that came no higher than his thigh. In his opinion the whole thing looked a little stupid. He was certain his back would be breaking if he was hunched over trying to use the oven or sink, but as stupid as it looked, he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see who was moving in; and by the looks of things, it could be any day now.

At the sound of Zach banging on his apartment door, Daryl could only chuckle softly before shoving all thoughts of his new neighbour to the side and marching over to the window. Climbing out he was immediately reminded of his hangover when the fresh air hit him; the overwhelming desire to toss his cookies disabling him slightly. But as quick as the wave came, it soon passed. Being on the second floor, he didn't have far to travel down, his feet soon touching the ground as he dropped from the ladders. Sober, the whole process was like child's play. Hungover, and it was like a damn workout.

"Well, good mornin', Sunshine." Martinez laughed as Daryl walked round to the front of the building "I see we're hidin' from the landlord again. You do realize that I just paid you yesterday, right?"

"Shut up." Daryl replied, snatching a steaming cup of coffee from Merle's outstretched hand "Let's just get this over with before I vomit."

"Ooh, I do love it when you talk dirty." Martinez chuckled out, Daryl flipping him the bird as they began to head off down the street.

Maybe locking his door that morning wasn't going to be the most difficult thing he faced that day after all.

………

It was a beautiful day. Wonderful, even! In fact, it was probably the most marvellous day that ever was in the entire existence of marvellous days...well...in Beth Greene's opinion anyway. With the excitement bubbling up within her, Beth couldn't stop her smile from growing as she watched the many trees lining the long country roads of Georgia fade away until all that could be seen was the tall skyscrapers of the City of Atlanta. A beautiful sight, really. With a smile threatening to split her face in two, she couldn't hold back the squeal that burst forth as they finally passed the City's welcome sign; a frantic slap to her father's arm bringing that excitement back to his attention. Her mother had called it 'cute and endearing'. He called it 'irritating as hell'.

"I can't believe I'm finally here!"Beth cried, tugging at his shirt sleeve "I'm doin' it, Daddy! I'm finally doin' it!"

Clearing his throat slightly, Hershel could only nod, his eyes never leaving the road in front of him as his daughter turned her attention back out the window. Glancing in his rearview he was greeted by the sight of his oldest daughter, Maggie, rolling her eyes slightly with a small smirk, the pleading message of 'try and be happy for her' written on her face. But as much as Hershel wanted to be happy that his youngest was flying the nest and moving to the big city, deep down, he was terrified.

"N-now, Beth..." He finally managed to force out, his palms sweaty as he turned the old truck into a quiet street "Y'know you don't have to do this...Momma and I won't mind one bit if you find that this ain't for you."

"Ain't for me!?" Beth cried, her smile never faltering "Oh but Daddy! How can this not be for me if it's all I've ever dreamed about!?" Pulling at the ends of her wild curls, she couldn't help but let her joyous laughter burst forth "Daddy, I'm finally gettin' what I've always wanted! I'm gettin' the chance to live my life like any other normal girl would!"

"I just..." Hershel began "I just hate the thought of somethin' happenin' in that flat of yours and we're not there."

"Aw, Daddy..." Beth giggled softly, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder "The whole place has been fitted out for me coimin'. I'll be fine. Any changes, and I promise I'll come straight back home."

"Relax, Daddy." Maggie chimed in, leaning over from between the seats and patting his other shoulder "I mean, you never know. Beth might even meet a nice young gentleman friend who'll keep a 'special' eye on her."

"Maggie, stop tryin' to help." Hershel mumbled, pulling the truck to a stop outside the old apartment complex "Right, we're here."

Squealing in excitement once again, Beth stared up at her new home in awe. It wasn't much to look at from the outside. The greying exterior and numerous broken windows did nothing but send a shiver up Hershel's spine if he was totally honest. As far as he was concerned the place looked like it should be wrapped in crime scene tape with chalk men drawn out front on the ground.

"Isn't it wonderful!?" Beth cried, again grabbing her father's arm and shaking him "Isn't it the most amazingly beautiful most wonderful place you've ever seen in your whole life!?"

"What a shit hole." Maggie remarked, causing her sister to tut slightly "Honestly Beth, I think your brain's fried."

"Are you kiddin'!?" She exclaimed, pointing towards the dump "It's magnificent! I mean, look at those big stained glass windows runnin' top to bottom! Look at that white picket fence and those wild rose bushes goin' all the way round! Every colour of the rainbow is growin' out those rose bushes! And look! Look at that shiny solid gold railin' wraped right round the ramp! My ramp!"

"Beth...Are you on crack or somethin'?" Maggie chuckled, wondering what on earth her sister was talking about.

"Not at all." She answered sweetly "I'm just describin' my home." Unbuckling her seat belt, Beth could only smile at the confusion in her sister's eyes "Just because we can't visibly see it doesn't mean it's not there, Maggie...There's potential in everythin'."

"You're so weird." Maggie laughed, unbuckling her own belt and opening her door "Well, let's go inside and have a look...I want to see if it has a fire breathin' dragon too."

"That's the spirit!" Beth praised.

Shaking her head slightly, Maggie went round the back of the truck and pulled out an old wheelchair from the bed before quickly unfolding it and wheeling it round to Beth's side. Smiling softly, Hershel came round and opened her door before carefully lifting her out. It didn't matter to him that he had been doing this for her for years. The thought of hurting her still haunted him.

"Comfy?" He asked quietly as he placed her gently into her seat, Maggie fixing her feet onto the foot rests.

"Feel like I'm floating on a cloud of cotton candy." Beth beamed, relaxing her father slightly "Now let's go in and tour my penthouse!"
………

The only thing that they could do in that moment was run; Daryl glancing back behind them every so often to make sure the coast was clear. Weaving in and out of the crowded streets, Daryl quickly overtook the two morons who had dragged him out of his bed that morning as they turned into the street his building was on. It was supposed to be a simple job. One that would have them in and away within minutes. But as Martinez had wasted time trying to jimmy the lock on the Merc that was parked hidden away in an alley, Daryl knew that they were in for trouble. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the dreaded alarm had sounded.

"This is your fuckin' fault, you know that!" Daryl spat as their running slowed to a brisk walk "D'you know how close that was back there!?"

"Oh, relax, will you?" Martinez snapped back, casting a look behind him "We got out safe."

"Besides the fuckin' point!" Daryl snapped, pointing angrily at him "There was way too many people walkin' about within ear shot. I ain't doin' another day job. No way I'm gettin' arrested again because of your stupid ass."

"Oh, calm down Darlena." Merle chuckled, lighting himself a cigarette "Y'need to straighten out those panties of yours."

"Fuck you guys!" Was his cry as he stopped in the street "I'm out. Call me when you've got some real work planned."

Not waiting to hear another word from them, Daryl cut down the side of his building towards the fire escape. He wanted nothing more than kick back on the couch with a few cold beers, watching daytime trash before passing out.

Stomping towards the ladders leading to the stairwell, Daryl angrily began to climb up them while muttering away to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he was so angry. Banging up the stairs, he soon found himself back outside the empty apartment on the second floor, happy to see that the window was still open slightly. Looking round a little to make sure there were no nosey neighbours peeking out their own windows, Daryl slowly began climbing back in. He could only pray now that 'The Idiot' wasn't still roaming the halls. But just as Daryl was swinging his leg over the sill, he caught his foot and tripped before landing face first in a heap on the floor.

"And the day just keeps gettin' fuckin' better." He mumbled, rubbing his bruised forehead as he fought to push himself up.

But as Daryl was busy getting to his knees, he failed to notice the set of flower covered wheels roll up in front of him. It was only when he was up, did he come face to face with a young girl in a wheelchair who just happened to have the bluest eyes he'd ever seen.

"Oh, please tell me that Christmas has come early and you're my new housewarmin' gift." She smiled, fighting back a giggle.

Shit.
………

A/N: Well guys, I really hope you all enjoyed chapter one. Thank you so much for reading. I know first chapters can be a little boring, so please please please stick with me. I promise you won't be disappointed. Also, I would love to know what you all thought, so it would be great if you left me a wee review letting me know. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Thank you :-)

Also, for any of you who are reading The Road To Happiness, the next chapter will be up soon :-)