Hi friends! If you read my other stories, you're probably thinking, "Hey! She should be working on Better Days! Not starting a new project!" And while you're probably right - I just couldn't leave this one alone! I'm part of a Bethyl writing group on Facebook, and our group got the prompt to have our favorite couple trapped in a wedding dress shop overnight. I used to work in the bridal industry and just couldn't refuse! So, this will be short, sweet, and fluffy - probably just 5-6 chapters and (hopefully) each one out in 1-2 days. All the chapters will be about 1,000 words and will end with a cliffhanger!

It's AU, it's a little zanier and fluffier than usual, and it's making me smile! I hope it makes you smile too!

Enjoy!

Beth tried to ignore the aching in her shoulders as she wrestled to get all 112 inches of a cathedral train back into its zippered bag. The bride who had just left had insisted on trying on twenty-two dresses. Twenty-two! And the impossible woman still hadn't decided on one.

The Saturday shift was the busiest and worst day to be working at Andrea's Bridal Couture, but Beth was grateful for the extra money. She'd be even more grateful when the clock hit 6:00 and she could close up. Only 28 minutes to go.

She was tempted to turn the sign over to "closed" early, so that no one else would come in, but she knew that if any of the other mall managers noticed, they'd tell Andrea. Most days she wouldn't have minded staying late, but it felt like there were a million things that she had to do in the next week.

Her big sister Maggie was getting married next Saturday, and as the maid of honor, Beth's schedule was packed. This was her final day of work (aside from coming in tomorrow for Maggie's final fitting) until after the wedding, and she couldn't wait for the break.

As she was putting the final dress back in it's retail spot, she noticed movement at the counter. She couldn't make the customer out clearly, but she tried her best to stifle a sigh. If this woman wanted to start trying on dresses with less than half an hour til closing, she was going to scream.

She turned and headed for the counter and realized that it wasn't a woman at all. It was Daryl Dixon. She stopped short as she took in the low-slung jeans, sleeveless shirt, and overlong hair that couldn't possibly belong to anyone else. She only knew him a little - he was one of the groomsmen in Maggie and Glenn's wedding - but, Lord have mercy, there was no mistaking a man that sinfully handsome.

All she really knew about Daryl was that he was a mechanic in the same car dealership that Glenn worked for. He didn't say much, and Beth was never quite sure how to talk to him. She wondered what in the world he could possibly be doing here.

"Hey," she said brightly, attempting to cover her nerves "What's goin' on, Daryl?"

He turned to look at her, hands crammed awkwardly in his pockets. He couldn't have looked more out of place if he tried.

"Beth," he said, voice betraying no emotion, "didn't know you worked here."

She conjured a weary smile.

"Gotta do somethin' to keep the bills paid while I'm in school," she admitted sheepishly.

"Mmm," he offered, noncommittally.

"So, what can I help you with?"

"S'where Glenn told me to come get fitted for my suit," he grumbled, pronouncing the word 'suit' like it was dirty word.

Beth felt instantly stupider. Of course that was why he was here. Andrea's did tuxedo rentals also, and it had only made sense to do it all through the same place. For a fleeting second, she thought he was here specifically looking for her. It surprised her a little to admit that the idea made her pulse quicken. She brushed that thought away hurriedly - good-looking groomsman or not - she had a job to do, and Daryl certainly wasn't interested.

"Perfect," she said brightly, "I can do the measurements for you now."

She retrieved an order form and a tape measure from behind the front counter and turned back to face Daryl.

"Measurements?" he questioned,"I can't just tell you my size?"

""Unfortunately not," Beth admitted, "the tuxes come in a range of sizes that aren't like the regular ones in the stores, so we need to get exact measurements."

His facial expression said that he'd rather walk into traffic than have to deal with all of this.

"Look on the bright side," she quipped, trying to lighten his mood, "At least you can get him back when you get married"

"Huh?"

"You know," she continued, "If you have him as a groomsman in your wedding, you can make him jump through all the hoops."

Daryl snorted derisively and made a low comment that sounded something like "when hell freezes over."

"I'm definitely doing that to Maggie," Beth said with a touch of sarcasm, "Could you hold your arms out to the sides?"

Daryl stretched his arms out into a tee, and looked at her with confusion.

"You don't like your dress?" he asked.

"It's fine," she conceded, all the while stretching the tape measure from his elbow to his wrist, "Just not what I would have picked."

"Yeah?" he inquired; and it occurred to her briefly that she'd never had this much of conversation with Daryl in the few weeks that she'd known him.

"Yeah, Maggie's a little more into the details than I am," she confessed, "the color's real pretty - I like the shade of green, but it's just a little too poofy for me. I like simpler stuff."

"That makes two of us," Daryl said wryly.

Beth smiled and moved around to his front so that she could wrap the tape measure around his chest. He was very accommodating with her measuring. Some men would fidget and fuss and it was nearly impossible to get the correct numbers. Daryl stood as still as a statue, and she was grateful for it.

"I have to get all up close and personal for this next one," she warned, kneeling on the ground in front of him, "inseam runs from the top of your inner thigh to the top of your shoe."

She glanced up to gauge his reaction - this is where most men would either blush or make a sleazy comment - and tried not to let her breath catch at his expression. He hadn't moved a muscle, and his blue eyes had darkened considerably. It must have just been because he was uncomfortable, she decided, and did the necessary measurement quickly.

She popped to her feet a little too quickly and busied herself with the order sheet until the color faded from her face.

"It'll be seventy-nine oh-three," she announced, taking his offered credit card and glancing at the clock.

5:49. Eleven more minutes.

"So, have you ever been to this restaurant that we're supposed to go to for the rehearsal dinner," he asked suddenly, and she was grateful for a change of subject.

"Only once," she replied, "I think it was after Maggie's gradua-"

She was cut off abruptly and decisively when the sliding metal emergency door crashed down over the entrance to the shop and the lights cut off, leaving them in a wash of darkness.

What do you think is going on? Love and reviews appreciated!