When You Care

A Bethyl Story

Chapter 3 - Redneck Knight

Warning(s): Brief male on female violence, mentions of abuse, self abuse and masturbatory references

Two weeks passed by.

Two, uneventful, hard, and boring weeks passed by, and that was hard enough in itself.

Springtime had come early this year, mornings already muggy with the sun beating down for the day by mid-morning. Chores went a little slow and messy for Daryl the first few days, but after Beth had helped him straighten a few kinks out, they went smoothly, and he would usually be finished with a lot of the work (aside from long-term projects) by early evening, just in time for supper. While the early mornings were trying, he had adjusted surprisingly well to the new lifestyle and expectations that followed.

He didn't see too much of Beth without Hershel or Annette in view. It became an unspoken agreement that Daryl never be alone with the youngest child of the Greene clan, even if nothing had happened, it was always best to be preventative and not taint the purity of Miss Beth. When Shawn came to visit the first week Daryl was there to make sure everything was alright, the Greene man had pulled Daryl to the side during a lull in conversation.

"I just wanted to thank you for your hard work here, Daryl," Shawn had muttered, placing a large, callused hand in what appeared to be companionship on Daryl's shoulder. Daryl's response was a grunt and a nod, uncomfortable with the contact. Then, Shawn's grip tightened. "But," his voice lowered, grip tightening still, "I catch you alone wit my baby sister, we 'gon have sum problems, kay?"

"Ya sayin' I'm sum kin'd ah perv?" Daryl bit out, harsh and a little angry and being outed, though he would never admit such a thing. He couldn't lie to himself, he found Beth attractive, but to others, he'd deny it until his dying day. "I know fuckin' better than ta' even lookit her wrong."

He knew that last part was a lie. After that first night he allowed himself to fall into a dark hole and fantasize about her while he touched himself. He found it harder and harder to not just notice her. She always wore slim jeans that looked as if they were painted on, and tank tops that seemed to always be falling off whenever she was around him. Of course, when not in school, she would change into something more comfortable and broken in before helping muck stalls or gather eggs, but that seemed to exacerbate the situation. She'd gather a fine sheen of sweat and her stretches to relieve tension would define the shape of her ass and perky little bust to him without a care in the world. And of course, Daryl would be thinking of that ass and those tits nearly every night when alone, pumping himself with his hand and hating himself all the while, for it. It was a torturous cycle, and one he wasn't sure how to break, hitting himself repeatedly upside the head with verbal insults after cumming onto himself, disposing of the evidence with shame. The idea of Beth being so promiscuous as she was in his fantasies was extremely inappropriate and most likely laughable, but there was something about her that called to him in a way he never felt before, and wanting a young woman like her was foreign, invading on his thoughts.

Beth just seemed to make everything worse without even trying.

She got used to him within the week when she realized he was all bark without the bite. While she was still wary enough of him to appease his sullen attitude, she clenched less around him, and even attempted conversation with him a few times, though nothing too prying. It was mostly asking him how the chores were going, if he had any questions on operations, and what was his favorite food. Hershel and Annette were kind in their own way, staying far enough away to let him be, but close enough to be of a supervisory and nurturing position, something he felt was too good for him. Then, there was still Shawn, dropping by every few days to help make sure things were going smoothly and beginning preparations for planting.

Daryl was used to staying in the shadows without Merle around to run the show, and it was a different tone and pacing for him at the Greene farm. He wasn't expected to kick someone's ass at the drop of a hat, but merely work his off. The drinking being a no-no was a bit of hell on his system, he'd wake some days sweating with his body desperately trying to detox the stuff, and took to his cigarette smoking with more gusto than usual. Sometimes, he'd go through a pack a day, especially if Beth got too close to him in any way. Then, there was the food! Holy hell, he had never eaten so well in his life. If he were vainer, he'd be afraid of getting fat, but between not giving a shit and the grueling work, that was never a problem, his arms already getting larger from use.

For a redneck, high school dropout, Daryl was finding his current situation to be pretty damn nice.

That evening, he ended the day as usual. The heat had been slowly, but steadily climbing. He had a good sweat going by the time the supper bell was rung, stinking and clothes ruined like usual. Beth came walking away from the stables, covered in dirt and shit, but looking happier than a pig in a mud pen. Though she appeared to be a fragile creature, he had been surprised by her tenacity and hard work ethic, happier to be on the farm and getting filthy than out and about with her friends.

After a quick cleanup in the bathroom at the house and a change of clothes, he nearly ran into Beth in the hallway. She gave a squeak of surprise like a mouse, his reflexes having his hands grabbing hold of her arms to steady her so she wouldn't fall.

"Daryl!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes bright and wide. "I'm sorry. Didn't see ya thur."

"S'fine," he mumbled in reply. His grip was firm, but didn't hurt. He could smell her shampoo from here, cream and peaches, a bit of honey, and some perfume that was smooth and like laundry. She was freshly showered, having come from the other bathroom available, hair still a bit damp, part of it braided to keep some of it in place. "You good?"

She nodded furiously, eyes darting across his features. She took note of the fact that his eyes had darkened slightly, nostrils flared, but his lips weren't curled in a tight sneer like they had been on their first meeting. In fact, the set of his jaw, while somewhat tense, wasn't in anger or hostility. He seemed nervous, more than anything else.

"Bethy! Sup's ready!" Annette called from the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go and help mama with tha table. See you down there." Beth nearly whispered the last words to Daryl, running down the stairs as noiselessly as possible.

He was left in the hallway with nothing but a scent and a feeling.

The Honda Accord was from the early nineties, old and loud. It was a bright blue, a little banged up, but well loved if just a plain old shitbox in nature. At least it was reliable. There were three girls piled into it, just as loud and obnoxious as the car. Some kind of top forties hit was playing, speakers blasting and disruptive to the normally quiet atmosphere of the Greene farm. The girls were all giggling and looked to be about Beth's age, though dressed nowhere near that. Instead, they wore short, tight dresses and heels that were too high to be sensible. The caked on makeup and overpowering perfumes were less than attractive to Daryl, and he chose to ignore them, instead taking one last, long drag of the iced tea that Annette had given him before he had sat himself on the porch with Hershel.

"That'd be Bethy's friends," Hershel said to Daryl. He waved to the newcomers. "Hello ladies, Beth's upstairs in her room. You can g'on up." He stood to escort them. "I'll be back in a minute, Daryl."

The girls chorused greetings to Hershel, who had already entered the house, leaving them alone with Daryl on the front porch.

"Well, well…who do we have here?" The leader of the group, a tall brunette with shapely legs that she showed off with a teal bodycon dress, slinked forward, doing her best to sway her hips in a seductive manner. The smile on her face was almost predatory, bright red lips and pearly white teeth all in a straight row. "I'm Tanya. What's your name, handsome?"

She'd be pretty enough if not for the heavy eyeliner and off-color of the foundation, two shades too dark for her natural skin tone. The hair was big, curled and fluffed, and everything about her just screamed fake. He was pretty sure a drop in the swimming pool would ruin the whole effect, and truth be told, her style had just never been his thing. Girls like that meant an easy catch for those nights he needed release and they'd be taken from behind, heads smashed into the pillow so he wouldn't have to look at them while he finished his business.

Daryl quirked an eyebrow at her, body tensing and hands balling up to form fists at his side. Though he had taken a shower, his clothes were old and worn, from years of use, and the pants had grease stains that weren't likely to come out anytime soon. Tanya didn't seem to care, though the other two girls, another brunette and one with straight black hair whose color came from a box, shied away somewhat nervously from him, clearly imposed by his stance.

"We the strong, silent type?" Tanya clucked her tongue, walking closer to him so that she was standing in front of him. Her perfume was fruity and clean, but there was so much that it became nearly suffocating. "I like 'em like a'tha-t." She drawled out the last word so that her slim fingers came to tease the flesh of his exposed bicep thanks to a flannel with roughly cut off sleeves. Lightening fast, his opposite hand came up and gripped her wrist, painfully wrenching it away. "Hh-eaeey!"

"Tanya, you okaeh?" Beth's voice was just outside the door, and Daryl stepped away from Tanya, dropping her wrist as if it were a hot iron. Beth came outside, face freshly scrubbed with just a hint of mascara, eyeliner, and blush. She looked up at Daryl, slightly confused. "Oh hey, Daryl. I thought you'd be out ton-aight. I guess Daddy forgot to tell ya, but you don't have work in tha mornin' since we'll be out ta church. He forgot last week too, it's tha one day ya don't have to put in any work aside from milkin and feedin'. Sorry."

"S'okay," he said softly, if a little roughly, and Beth smiled a little at that.

"Oh, so this is Daryl," Tanya said, eyes wide in now recognition. "Bethy here has said lots 'bout ya!" She slung her arm across Beth's shoulders, much to the blonde's protests. "Wanna go out with us ta'night, Daa-erryl?"

"Tanya, be nice," Beth shushed. "I don' like it! Sides, he don't need to hang out with us, he's got better things ta do!"

Daryl quirked an eyebrow, surprised at the angry bite present in Beth's tone.

"Oooohhh...Jimmyy still pissed ya' did-un put out at the kegger?" When Beth wouldn't answer, Tanya rolled her eyes. "Fine!" She looked at Beth, and Daryl decided in his mind that both girls were way too close for comfort, though he leaned slightly more towards Beth, if to escape Tanya's scent at the very least. "But!" Tanya pointed at Beth. "You are NOT goin' out like tha't! We gon' make that boy regret givin ya the cold shoulder." She grabbed Beth by her wrist and proceeded to drag her into the house. "Tammy Lynn! Mary! C'mon! Grab tha clothes 'an let's get this shit rollin'!"

Beth looked back to Daryl before disappearing into the house, blue eyes wide and her body tensing like she was ready to fly away.

He sat at the bar, nursing a Bud Light, sullen and staring hard at the television.

George's Office, on a Saturday night, wasn't packed, but wasn't empty, either. It seemed the place was the bar for older locals, grizzled men who were retired with nothing to do but some day drinking into the evening, and those who just couldn't seem to stay away from the bottle, littered parts of the bar with their presence, and a small group of middle aged men took up two tables. They were the loudest ones by far, but Daryl chose to ignore them and nurse his third beer of the evening and look at the news on TV with the closed captions on.

Doctors have confirmed that what we originally thought was an Ebola virus mutation is now a completely different virus. Symptoms are flu-like in nature, with unnaturally high fevers, but the CDC hasn't said much more.

Oh wow, Kathy, that sounds serious. Now, they are still working on contacting all travelers, but anyone with a high fever, or that has come into physical contact with someone exhibiting such symptoms, are urged to seek immediate medical attention.

Stay safe out there, and if you've traveled to Africa within the last month, especially the area in and around Sierra Leone, please contact your nearest CDC branch right away for clearance. Self-quarantine of 21 days is in effect, and your nearest CDC will take procedures to help you during self-quarantine days.

And now, our next story. We'll tell you all about the baby that saved a puppy's life, right after this commercial break.

"Ebolas an' fevers an' shit," the old man next to Daryl said. "Ff-cuk th'at!" He took a gulp of his Jack and Coke. "Amirite?"

"M'hmm." Daryl nodded and took another swig of his beer. He felt a sour taste in his mouth suddenly, thinking of the news report he saw a few weeks ago. Nothing had happened in their area, but it just felt weird. "Takin' a piss."

After using the bathroom, he stepped outside to smoke (damn those new laws).

The Greene farm was several miles from a small town, and George's Office was one of two bars that the fuckville middle of nowhere had. While he didn't mind small town bars, Daryl found it easier when towns had people drinking like fishes to justify several more establishments at the very least, unlike here. It meant that when Merle wasn't around, he'd be able to keep to himself without some old prick trying to make small talk with him, unlike a few moments earlier.

It was pretty quiet, except the time of the evening had some teenagers driving down main, windows rolled down and music loud. Cops wouldn't do much to those kids, they were concerned more about drunk drivers and drug dealing than anything else. There were only four cars pulling a drag down main, but each one was packed to the brim with teenagers, and among them was a familiar, crappy blue Honda.

They all parked not too far down the street, within a block from him, in front of the movie theater that had finished it's showing of one movie for the evening not too long ago. Some of the kids ran inside to grab snacks that were still being sold at the concession stand, while the rest stood outside their vehicles, one or two lighting up cigarettes, another couple aggressively making out, and then another couple that seemed less cuddly.

The other couple looked to be Beth and her boyfriend. Ben? Tim? Timmy? Something ending in -immy. Daryl could honestly give two shits. The boy had picked up Beth the first week of Daryl's work and Hershel had called out both their names, shaking his fist and hollering about curfew and his beloved baby girl and all that. Frankly, Daryl found the whole thing amusing, though the hostility between the two so-called lovebirds was nearly palpable at the moment.

Beth's boyfriend seemed to drag her away from their friends and they walked down the street, towards the bar where Daryl was at. The young man had his one arm slung around Beth's shoulders, while his other seemed to hold her to his side. She looked uncomfortable, and slightly mad at the situation she was in, her cheeks tinged pink so much so that Daryl could see them even from a distance, under the illumination provided from the streetlights.

She was dressed up, thanks to her friends, but seemed uneasy with the clothes she was in: strapless, sparkling peach dress, with five inch high heeled platforms, and some gaudy jewelry to boot. Her hair was curled and tousled to look like she just had a roll in the sack, with dark eyeliner surrounding her eyes, way too much mascara, and a red shade of lipstick that made her seem paler than she really was.

"Where we goin', Jimmy?" she asked. Daryl kept his head down to avoid any recognition. He wasn't one to inject himself into a situation, more the silent and observe type. "They're all leaving soon, ya know."

"They can come get us later," Jimmy said as he pulled at Beth insistently towards the alley that was next door to the bar. "C'mon, I just wanna spend sum time witcha."

Beth struggled against him a little, digging her heels into the pavement as best as she could, and pushed away from him, but his hold on her was by far stronger.

"I don't want ta, Jimmy," she protested.

Daryl cursed inwardly.

He should have known.

The boy was all glassy eyed and red in the face. He had been drinking all evening, and heavily at that. What worried Daryl most was the underlying tone of it. There was that quiet anger present, the kind that would take another five years at least before it was unleashed, but it was there, just under the surface. It was the kind that would result in lashing out after one too many shit days at work, and one of the kids would be crying when he got home, and supper wouldn't be ready yet. Beth would probably ask him how his day was after he'd had a few too many, after the kids were in bed. He'd grumble a smartass reply, she'd get a little huffy. Then, she'd ask him if he could help her with something instead of watching the TV, and that's when it would happen. It'd be a quick slap, hard and unexpected, with a biting remark following right after. There'd be the shock of it, sure, but he'd come to the realization that it felt good. He'd then think too that maybe she deserved it, maybe it was her fault and not his, and from there it would only get out of control.

"Yer bein a fuckin' bitch, you know," Jimmy said, his anger more evident now.

"Jimmy!" she said, shocked at his language.

His hold on her tightened and Beth whimpered out a protest, saying it hurt, but he ignored her. They were down in the alley at this point. Their friends had left surprisingly quick, and the two didn't even notice Daryl or the fact that he'd flicked his cigarette away and was straight out watching them, slowly walking to them with a quiet ease like a ghost.

"I don't want to do this," Beth said, voice becoming high pitched. She pushed against Jimmy again, firmly. He still wouldn't let go. "I want to go home, I don't want to go steady with you if this is how you're gonna be, Jimmy." The last part of her sentence trailed off as she got teary eyed and her voice broke.

She was terrified.

"They tol' me you were jus like Maggie." Jimmy pushed her so her back hit the wall. His hand pawed at her breast, fingers pinching a nipple hard. His voice got mocking. "She'll be so damn easy, act all high and mighty but we KNOW what she WANTS!"

Slap!

Beth stared at him, shocked that her hand had reacted so quickly. The action was done instinctively, Jimmy's cheek bright red immediately. Her palm burned painfully with the force of the hit and he looked at her with surprise.

"Shouldn't have dun that," he murmured, before grabbing her by the shoulders and tossing her back up against the wall so hard that her head connected. "Why ya gotta go an ruin it all?"

The pain radiated through her skull so immediately she nearly threw up, yelling out in protest and crying. The world was black with violent explosions of color before her eyes, but the sound was all there, and all else she could feel was completely horrified at the fact that her boyfriend had turned into a total ass. Ever since he saw Daryl was working on their farm a few weeks ago, he had made assumptions something was happening between the farmhand and Beth. That night at the keg party, he drank himself silly, tried to sleep with her. While Beth didn't consider herself necessarily a prude, she wasn't ready to give up her virginity to a boy she had only been dating a few months.

It was like a seed had been planted. They had fought that night, their first big one, and he had reacted in a way she hadn't expected, which was somewhat violent. It made Beth sulk, unsure if she wanted to keep dating. She had only started to date him because of her friends and his friends as well. It was like they were pushed into it. Jimmy would get along with Beth because he had helped out at her farm over the summer the last few years. Of course they would hit it off.

Now, with her head aching, ears ringing, she knew this couldn't continue. Not anymore. However, she had more immediate problems, like how the hell she was going to get away from him, because she had no idea what he was capable of anymore.

Daryl didn't want to interfere. He was never one for letting himself take charge of a situation, but then again, he was never one for men beating women. His father, sonofabitch that he was, beat his mama, and since then any violence against women made Daryl see red and go wild. Men that beat women were lower than dirt, no good to anyone, like a feral dog that needed to be put down. When he heard the slap, he charged into the alleyway without a second thought. The whole thing had gotten completely out of hand. He had hoped the boy wasn't stupid enough to take things further, but he had been wrong, and that cry of agony from Beth spurred him into action.

"Tha fuck you doin boy?" he yelled as he ripped Jimmy away from Beth. Beth slid down to the ground, crying, clenching as best as she could, as if it might take her away from the whole ugly mess. Daryl punched Jimmy, hard. "Didn' yer daddy ever teach ya how ta treat a lady?" He hit him again. "Huh?!"

The boy's face was bloody now, and he was knocked out cold. Daryl went to punch again, red bleeding into his vision, anger pushing his body, but Beth stopped him, pleading.

"Daryl!" she cried. She came up behind him, rushing to him in a hug that stopped him cold, and he let go of Jimmy, the young man falling to the ground in a heap. "Stop. Please. Stop!" She was still crying, clinging to him tight. "I wanna go now."

He was breathing hard, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. It took several moments before he was able to calm down, sweat beading at his brow. Beth still clung to him, small and trembling, her sobs having died down. No one had come to check on the commotion, probably because no one cared, the way most small towns were able to turn a blind eye to any problems that may occur.

Finally, the tension passed. Jimmy was stirring a little, spurring the other two to action. Beth let go of Daryl, and he turned to look at her, inspecting her to see if she had any other wounds. She still looked a little dazed, but okay for the most part.

"How's your head?" he asked.

Her eyes were big and glassy. She looked so pale and out of place in the filth of the alley in the night.

"It hurts," she whispered. "But I'm okay."

He nodded his head towards the entrance, thankful he always paid for his drinks with cash and didn't start tabs so they could make a quick getaway.

"C'mon." His voice was low and rough. "I'll give ya a ride."

They hurried away to Daryl's pickup, leaving Jimmy alone to sort things out when he came to. Without any words, Daryl began to drive, radio on low to not overwhelm then. His grip on the steering wheel was white knuckled, that much tighter when he stole a glance at Beth and saw her face, sad and eyes swollen and red from crying, mascara streaked down her face.

They were heading back to the Greene farm when Beth said, "Don't take me home yet. I'm not ready. Daddy'll still be up. He can't see me like this." She looked into the passenger mirror of the visor to confirm her fears of her disheveled appearance. "I ne'er thought he'd do sumthin like that." She began crying. "Why did he do that to me?"

Not one for comforting crying women, Daryl was completely out of his element. He felt uncomfortable with Beth breaking down next to him. Part of him wanted to yell at her, get the spark back into her again so she might fight the whole issue head on, but Merle in his head sneered how stupid an idea that was and how she'd hate him forever. The part of him that didn't talk much in his mind didn't like the thought that Beth could hate him forever.

Instead, he kept driving, pulling onto some different back roads until there were no houses or people around for miles, and then he went off road in a field that was used to check the fence line, drove until the tracks and ruts got a little too deep, and stopped the pickup. Beth was still crying, but he couldn't bear to reach out and touch her.

That just wasn't his style.

Instead, he let her cry it out, nothing but the sound of the night and the radio softly playing to accompany her.

When she calmed down (finally), he turned to look at her. Even with all the makeup smeared and all the crying, Beth was still a strikingly beautiful young woman. The electric thrill that hummed through his body made Daryl feel shame and only his hold on the steering wheel stopped him from hitting himself in front of her.

"Any guy who go an hits a lady don' deserved ta be cried o'er," he said. The words felt thick in his throat, sticky and uncomfortable, like something was sliding out of him that he wasn't familiar with. It scared him, a little. He was so used to be quick to the literal punch when he was around Merle, quick to defend, and quick to assume the worst. "He don' deserve your tears. He don' deserve nuthin from ya." Things with the Greene family were different, a little slower, a little more unfamiliar. He had already learned that a quick temper wasn't appreciated, and most of his outbursts were taken out on animals and equipment, without a person in view. But, he found that if he wasn't ugly and sneering with his actions, he was actually treated halfway decent, and that was something that hadn't happened in a long, long time. "You can do better 'an sum stupid farm boy."

He meant those words, and laced underneath was also him saying, You can do better than me.

He wasn't sure if she understood him or not, but when she looked him in the eye, he saw all her fear and self loathing gone. There was a steel to her look, a little harder, a little colder. It wasn't directed at him in any way, but the energy of it was there.

"Thank you, Daryl," she said sincerely. She leaned over, placing her hand over his white knuckled grip, the honest admission present in her body. "You are so much better than sum stupid farm boy and I jus wanna seh thank you...for savin me."

There was an unfamiliar tightness in his chest at her words.

All he could do was nod. She nodded back and then settled back into the seat, unrolling her window to look up at the night sky, stars of the Milky Way dusted against the velvety blackness in an unapproachable and unspoken beauty.

"Okay if we stay here a bit longer?" she asked.

"Mhhm."

End Chapter 3

Author Note: Guys, I am so sorry for the delay! The honeymoon took a bit more out of me than I originally thought (we spent soooo much money, ugh), but it was a total blast. Harry Potter World was super awesome and the whole trip was something we needed. My house, on the other hand, is throwing a bitch fit of dust and I have to do some major scrubbing. Seriously, house, calm yo shit. For the warnings in the chapter, if they're too over the top, please let me know. I just want to let people know what they're getting into I guess. How was the Jimmy bit? I feel like he'd be a little bit insecure and throwing alcohol and jealousy into the mix could exacerbate the problem, and we didn't get too much of him in the show. That, and I just am not a fan of a million characters. I can't pull a GRRM GoT shit and have a million different people and story lines. I mean, I could, but I don't feel like it right now.

Things are going to pick up now so there'll be another time jump. I want to get that whole zombie outbreak effect happening. There'll be a little more focus on those issues and then going to get Merle. I don't mean to rush it, but hey, we gotta have some action, right? As far as lemons go, it's a slow burner. Like 18 Miles Out by MonDieu666 (which is a fantastic read, go now, if you haven't already!) slow burner, just a warning. There will be plenty of tension to go around so I hope you all appreciate it. I haven't gotten much into the 4th chapter. I headed on over to work on Blackbird Singing as soon as I finished this so I can also get that updated.

Thoughts? Criticism? Questions? Sound off in the review section. It's lovely to see follows/faves, but I need some vocalization, y'all. Much love and hope you keep enjoying! :)

Ciao