The Baker and the Butcher

Chapter 14

Things changed after that night by the truck.
They were closer. The words they spoke were softer and the touches they shared sweeter.
No one knew about whatever relationship they had.
With all the chaos of the robbery still going on around him, he Needed the easy simple nature of Beth and keeping it a secret was the only way to keep it simple.
He started realizing things he never noticed about her.

She couldn't bake snicker doodles.

He'd been the guinea pig for over eight batches of failed snicker doodles, he hadn't had the heart the first two times to tell her how awful they were until she tried them herself.
"Mother of Hannah, these taste like a shoe! Daryl Dixon I don't want you lyin' to me alright? You oughta tell me what you really think or I won't learn!" She scolded
So six batches later and she was covered in flour and cinnamon.
Slumping down to the floor she stared at the offending cookie in her hand.
" I don't get it! I can bake! I know I can. Everyone loves my bakin' how come these taste like... Well they taste like.. Crap! There I said it!" She was all red faced and grumpy and Daryl had never seen anything cuter.
He grabbed the cookie from her hand and popped it in his mouth.
"Love your bakin' Beth, all tastes pretty good to me. So you can't make a stupid cookie, you still make everything else taste like a little piece of heaven" he faded out as he got distracted looking at his jeans as he went to wipe off the cookie crumbs,
He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt her soft lips on his cheek.
"Thank you Daryl" she smiled at him leaving him staring after her wide eyed with his hand to his cheek.
So when a perfectly frosted vanilla cupcake was at his butchers block the next day, he couldn't stop the smile from forming.

She loved the color green.

"You only like that color because it's your last name." He teased mouth half full of sandwhich
"Not true!" She argued picking up the strawberry from the little Tupperware by her lunch bag.
They had been sitting at lunch one day when Daryl had asked her what her favorite color was.
" I happen to like green a lot, lots of different greens." She said pointedly.
"Name one green thing you like" he challenged her.
" well green grass after a summer rain storm, and the mossy stuff at the bottom of the lake that's squishy under your toes, oh! And the wheel barrow in my back yard maggie used to wheel me around in!"
He smiled at her. She was so much wiser then she seemed.
"But" she continued "my favorite green has to be the color of your eyes when you get kinda angry and focused. I also like the soft green you're eyes get when you're sleepy or happy" she gave him a gentle smile
He stared her straight in the eyes and went bright red but he couldn't stop looking at her.
No one had ever noticed anything about him except his last name.
"Well what's your favorite color Dixon?"

"Green" he said with a straight face. "Beth Greene"

She was maternal.

Lori gave birth to a gorgeous little doll of a girl, Judith just three days after the robbery took place.
Unfortunately Lori spiraled into a deep depression after giving birth, didn't wanna see her baby couldn't bear to look at her. She decided it would be best if she went away for a few months just to get her head in order.
That left Rick without a wife and Judith without a mother.
Beth immediately took on the role of Judith's mother. She said
" everyday little girl deserves a mother, just so happens I'm available."
Everyday he'd watch her plop little ass kicker in her high chair right by The cookie stand. She'd test out icing by popping a sugar coated finger in the baby's mouth.
Turns out Judith has a pretty good flavor profile.
Beth would occasionally take Judith home with her for the night just so Rick could get some sleep. Carl was struggling with losing his mom and his dad hardly ever being present mentally.
But Beth was always there, whispering words in his ear or ticking him to make him smile. He stuck by Beth and Daryl who carl claimed was
" the coolest guy I've ever met, kinda like a super hero Yknow? Like you could be called "The Hunter" or something like that!"
The attention made a Daryl a little uncomfortable but he knew what it was like to grow up without a dad. So he cut the kid some slack. He really had to talk to Rick.
Because come on, if he was gonna have a sidekick it was not gunna be " The Kid"
He found himself one night with carl sleeping at his feet outside Hershel's barn and Beth coddling Judith right next to him.
"God she's perfect." Beth whispered towards the sleeping baby in her arms.
He looked to Beth
"Yeah she is"

She was pretty strong.

He had been sitting out side by the closed in porch when he'd come across the state wide newspaper.
He'd Admit smoking was becoming boring to him. So he figured he'd do a little light reading to pass the time.

There it was fourth page in
"Merle Dixon loses arm in Fatal car crash, story continued on pg6"

He threw up.

His older brother. He was invincible he couldn't be hurt. Not Merle Dixon there had to be a mistake.
But there it was written in ink.
He screamed.
He never screamed but he did then. Throwing the paper to the ground and punching the brick wall behind him he didn't even feel his knuckles crack as he kept hitting the wall.
He then felt the two arms he'd come to know so well slide around his waist and press her cheek against his back.
"One day well share all of our stories."
She started
"But today let me carry your scars for you."
He slowly nodded turning her in his arms so he could cry into her shoulder as she whispered words in his ear and rubbed his back.

She had to be pretty strong to carry all of his scars.