A/N: Aaaaaand welcome to my second fanfic! This is a Bethyl AU (slow burning, I know, but you'll love it). As I write this, my friend is also writing a Bethyl AU of her own – our chapters will be uploaded on the same days, so you can follow both of our stories and get two updates at a time! Her user is bethybethyl. Check it out!

Also, just before we start with the story, I want to give a huge shout-out to TheQueenOfShebaSays – she has inspired me to write an AU ever since she began writing The Babysitter. Please, check out her stories too. They're bloody amazing.

Okay, on with the story! Thank you for reading!

A Case of the Blues: Chapter 1

"Merle, where the fuck are you taking me?" Daryl groaned, massaging his temples. Merle had dragged him out of bed at 1am, grinning and telling him he had a surprise for his 30th birthday.
"Just trust me baby brother, you're gon' love it," Merle smirked, furthering Daryl's confusion. "This is gon' be the best birthday present yet."
"Merle, it ain't my birthday 'til the mornin'," he complained, to which Merle laughed.
"It is mornin', Darylina. Now shut up an' be thankful that your big brother is takin' you somewhere nice for a change."

They continued to drive through the early hours of the morning in comfortable silence, Merle occasionally smiling to himself whilst Daryl yawned and became hypnotised by the raindrops hitting the windscreen.

After a few more minutes of anxious waiting, Merle pulled up to a small diner. He turned the engine off and looked over at Daryl, his eyes gleaming.

"Before you say anythin', this ain't no ordinary diner, brother. This is a blues rock diner, an' tonight there's a new young lady there to perform. She starts in five minutes, so get 'yer ass in there," Merle almost shouted with excitement.

Daryl tried to groan at his brother's enthusiasm but he found himself smirking and shaking his head, laughing slightly. Ever since he was caught listening to blues rock in his car one time, Merle never let him live it down. However, he'd admit that this would be a pretty nice birthday, spending it with Merle for once.

He headed inside, followed by an eager Merle, and found a booth to sit in. Merle went straight to the bar and ordered two jack and cokes before slamming them down on the table in front of Daryl. He jumped a little, but took a sip instantly.

They sat together and made idle conversation while they waited for the singer to come onto the stage. After a minute or so, the lights in the room dimmed down and some deep blue spotlights lit up the stage. Smoke began to smother the floor of the diner. Daryl looked over at Merle who was grinning madly.

"Damn brother, this is gon' be the best show yet,"
"I thought you hated blues rock," Daryl teased, to which Merle swatted his arm and downed his drink.
"Jus' enjoy the show, baby brother."

Daryl snorted but turned to face the stage anyway. Through the smoke he watched a woman make her way onto the stage, an electric guitar around her neck. She had yellow hair which cascaded across her shoulders and down her back in loose ringlets. She lifted her eyes to look at the crowd, giving Daryl a proper view of her face. Her skin was illuminated in the deep blue light, her eyes were glowing a strangely familiar deep ocean blue, very similar to his own. Her lips looked soft and slightly pink; curved into a sweet smile. Daryl looked back up to her eyes to find them locked on his.

And when her eyes met his, he felt something click, like a key turning in a lock. He had no idea what it was, but even so, there was something there, something recognizably real, and he couldn't look away.

If all that wasn't enough, she then proceeded to open her mouth and the sound that came out was none other than an angels. She had a sultry growl to her voice and her petite hips swayed with the music. She gripped the microphone like it was second nature, and her eyes didn't leave his. Only now was he able to focus his hearing on what she was saying, as her fingers began to tease the strings of the guitar.

"There was a lady on the mountain

Eyes like pools of water in the sun

Hair flowed down her shoulders like the river

I could see her chest move up and down

Started calling out

She was calling out to you

Hear her calling out to you

She's been calling out to you"

Merle kicked his foot under the table, and Daryl snapped back to reality. His mouth was hanging open, and his lips had dried out. He licked them and forced his eyes away from her to look at Merle. Just as he expected, he had a smug look on his face.

"Y'like the look of her, Darylina?" he teased.
"Shu'up, Merle, just got distracted is all."
"Distracted by that pretty thing, y'mean?"

Daryl didn't answer. Instead, he turned to watch her sing again.

"Walking with a mason jar of fireflies

She can't find the light she needs within

You can hear her ego on the mountainside

Awful sinking feeling you can't swing"

She continued to sing her own sweet unique version of the song, and he couldn't help but feel like he was being pulled towards her. The words that were flowing were forming a distant memory in his head, something from his childhood. It was too blurred, too vague to really figure out what was happening – but there was something there. He guessed it didn't help that her eyes were still locked onto his.

The song ended and the diner applauded, but Daryl couldn't move. Their eyes were still locked, and she beamed a smile over at him, to which he couldn't help but return. He gave her a crooked grin and nodded.

He couldn't help thinking that if music was the fuel for love; he never wanted her to stop.

After a few more songs of similar nature, Daryl and Merle were heading back out to the truck. Merle hit Daryl on the back and laughed, asking if he was proud of his choice. Daryl grunted and climbed into the car, not being able to shake the image of the woman from his mind, until Merle opened his god damn mouth.

"Darylina, I'm talkin' to ya," he grumbled.
"Merle, what was her name?" Daryl whispered, only just able to voice his thoughts.
"Ahhhhh, so ya did like 'er then! I fuckin' knew it!" Merle shouted and laughed.
"Jus' tell me."
"The little ladies name was Beth, baby brother. She's one o' the Greene girls, the youngest one to be precise. Sweet lil' thang," Merle spoke, smirking the whole time, as if he knew something that Daryl didn't.

Daryl didn't speak for the rest of the night. His mind was set on meeting this girl again. He had to find out for himself if this girl was really who he thought she was – the 8 year old girl that he rescued from the mountainside on his 10th birthday.

As Daryl lay in bed that night, the girl had sung her way into his thoughts, performing for him and him only. He had to find her and ask her why she abandoned him all those years ago. He felt a sharp, sweet ache in his chest the next morning: his life would never again be complete without her. And that scared him.

A/N: And there's your first chapter! I really hope you enjoyed the introduction – or should I say, second introduction - of Daryl and Beth. Also, Merle is gonna be a good guy in this. I really miss Merle in the TV series, and I think he would be super supportive of Daryl and his "love life" (but not before giving them hell, of course). And yes, I did sort of sneak in a little Shakespeare quote – I mixed it up a little, but the general idea for the quote was Shakespeare.

SONG: TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND - Calling Out To You

PS- Reviews keep me going ;)