#bethylff

“Yes, Mama.” Sammy chirped as she pulled the little jean backpack trimmed in white lacy from the spot next to her seat. Sammy wrinkled her nose at the frilly bag, but knew better than to argue with her mama, especially when it was obvious her mama was feeling a certain sort of way. Sammy had no idea why her mama seemed so nervous, it wasn’t like she was the one who had a new teacher and needed to learn all her ABCs.

Beth straightened and smiled down at Sammy before taking her hand and walking her across the little school parking lot. She tilted her head up, chin out in determination. She could just about feel everyone’s eyes on her, but she chose to ignore them. When she’d come home from college she’d been the talk of the town: freshly twenty-two, unmarried, and pregnant. She’d had a steady college boyfriend (not that anyone who gossiped knew that) and they’d even talked about coming back and getting hitched. When Beth had wound up pregnant all those dreams had come crashing down on her. The boy had said he just simply wasn’t ready to be a daddy and had up and disappeared on her. She’d hidden away at her parent’s farm trying desperately not to hear the not so whispered rumors that started in the church yard and followed her around town. After Sammy had been born the gossip mill had moved along from the unwed farmer’s daughter to something else, but Beth hadn’t been listening. She just focused on raising her beautiful sweet baby girl as best she could.

Now it was the first day of school, and she could feel that rumor mill getting ready to start up all over again. Beth was dreading it, but knew she’d bare it and come out stronger because of it. The part that burned her up the most was hearing all the sympathetic mumbles of ‘Poor child, no daddy at home. Such a shame.’ It positively made Beth bristle when she’d catch the tail end of that statement. She was doing just fine by her baby girl without a man in her life to complicate things. Besides, Sammy did have her grandpa.

Hershel had taken some knocks in his life: son and wife passing too early, farming accident that injured his leg and caused him to have to hire outside help, permanent limp, and a stressful harvest season that he had to sit on the sidelines for. Yes, Hershel had had his fair share of hard knocks, but when Beth had arrived back at the farmhouse with the declaration of him becoming a grandfather, now that just simply wasn’t one of them.

Beth entered that kindergarten classroom and ignored how the conversation seemed to stopped when she entered. She followed Sammy to her little chair, with her name on the tag, and the little pencil box that had crayons and a pencil inside. Beth crouched down, helping Sammy take her little backpack off before hanging it on the back of her chair. Sammy looked at the little boy sitting next to her and wrinkled her nose. “Mama, Ms. West put me next to a boy. I don’t wanna sit next to a boy. They’re gross.” She whined.

“Samantha Abigail Greene you mind your manners and be nice.” Beth huffed, putting her hands on her slim hips. “For all you know he don’t wanna sit next to you none either. Now apologize.” Sammy pouted. “Go on now.”

“I’m sorry.” Sammy grumbled looking back to the boy. He gave her a shrug.

“S’okay.” He grinned at her. “I had Ms. West for preschool last year. Ms. West calls me her special helper. She told me she knows I can sit next to anyone and be their friend, even the naughty ones in class.” Beth stifled a snicker as Sammy gave a horrified gasp.

“I am not naughty!” She whined. “Mama, tell him I’m not naughty!” Beth just looked at her daughter for a moment before she opened her mouth to reply. She was stopped short when a man walked up beside her and spoke first.

“Dev, you knock that off right now, y’hear?” Daryl grumbled. “Ain’t no way to make friends in class, ‘specially not on the first day.” Beth jerked around to look at the rough and tumble man now standing beside her.

“Aw, I was just bein’ honest. You always say if a man ain’t honest, he ain’t nothin’ at all.” Daryl felt his ears start to burn red. His eyes flitted from his nephew to the blond standing beside him.

When Merle had showed up, panicked on his doorstep five years ago, Daryl had no idea what he was in for. Merle had blabbered on about how Cheryl (who the hell was Cheryl?) had gotten knocked up and had dumped the baby on him, but he had no idea what he was doing, and he knew he was gonna fuck up this kid, and he knew he couldn’t do anything right, and would Daryl please just watch the kid for a little while until he could get his shit together?

The kid was screaming and carrying on and Daryl did the only thing he could think of: he’d picked the kid up and started bouncing him until he was quiet. Merle took that as an agreement and shouted out his thanks as he all but sprinted down the hallway. Daryl was left alone with his nephew in the dark faster than you could count to three, and it had been the two of them ever since. He’d been trying his best to raise the kid right, but he had a streak in him that belonged solely to his daddy, and there was no taming that mouth no matter what Daryl tried.

That was how he found himself wishing the floor would swallow him whole in the middle of Devon’s kindergarten class while a pretty blond eyed him curiously. “I also say if you ain’t got nothin’ nice to say, you keep that mouth closed.” He grumbled as he watched Devon frown.

“But she started it!” He whined. Daryl was fixing to remind him it was disrespectful to argue back but was stopped by the pretty blond.

“He’s right.” She said, a small smile on her lips. “Sammy can be a handful and isn’t always careful with her words. He was just standin’ up for himself.”

“Mama!” Sammy shrieked from her seat. Beth smiled down at her daughter before ruffling her hair.

“Maybe you’ll think twice about what you say to others huh?” Sammy pouted before turning to the boy next to her.

“I’m Sammy.” She said grudgingly. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Devon,” He paused and looked at her, “do you like frogs?” Sammy’s eyes lit up and she smiled before nodding her head vigorously. Beth shook her head. From enemies to friends just that fast. She turned and looked at the man standing next to her.

“I’m Beth. Beth Greene.” She smiled at him, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“Daryl. Daryl Dixon.” He stuck his hand out to shake hers.

“I have a feeling, Mr. Dixon-“

“Just Daryl.” He cut her off. “Mr. Dixon was my dad.”

“Well, Daryl, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” She motioned to the two kids talking a mile a minute at their table. He felt his heart thump a bit faster in his chest.

“Think so?”

“Oh I know so.” He nodded as he looked at her.

“Well, in that case, wanna get a cup of a coffee?” Beth grinned that hundred-Watt grin.

“I think I’d like that very much…”

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