Summer In Georgia

Daryl Dixon wiped his brow with the back of his hand as he finished stacking up the wood in the barn. Summers in Georgia had to be the worst in the United States. He'd just closed the door to the barn when a sweet voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Daddy! Are you in- oh sorry, I thought you were my daddy." A lean girl that couldn't have been more than 20 flashed him one of the brightest smiles he'd ever seen.

"My name is Beth Greene, Hershel Greene's daughter. Nice to meet ya!" she said sticking a hand out. Daryl stared at the hand in question for a good moment before taking the hand.

"Daryl Dixon." he grunted. So this was the girl Hershel kept going on about. Beth was Hershel's youngest daughter and had gone to Texas for college. The old man couldn't have been happier that his daughter was home for the summer. She's a cute little thing. Daryl quickly pushed those thoughts out of his greasy head; he didn't think Hershel would keep him as a farm hand if he thought Daryl was fancying his baby girl. Beth had just taken his hand when she let out a small yelp.

"Don't those splinters hurt?! Let's go inside so I can take those out!" She took a hold of his wrist and dragged him after her before Daryl could say anything.

" 'S fine, don't hurt." he said, taking a seat on a stool in the family room when they entered the house. Beth scoffed.

"Yeah right, I'm sure they don't." With a makeshift first aid kit, Beth kneeled in front of him and started dabbing alcohol over his reddened hands.

"So, Mr. Dixon, how long have you been working for my daddy?" she asked, gently taking out a couple of splinters with a pair of tweezers. Daryl shrugged and focused his eyes on the wall. In all honesty, those splinters hurt like a bitch after a while, but he wouldn't dare admit that out loud. He took a quick glance at the blonde only to find she was already staring at him with the same smile from earlier. Who did this girl think she was manhandling a Dixon like that? As soon as Beth took the last splinter out, Daryl got up  to leave.

"Hey! Where are ya going? A simple 'thank you, Beth' would suffice!"

"I didn't ask you to help." he called back, making his way to the shed. He heard Beth sigh, expecting her to turn around, but she kept following him.

"HERSHEL!" Daryl shouted in search of the old man who'd gone missing a couple of hours ago.

"In here, son!" Hershel called back from inside the shed. Cautiously, Daryl stepped inside to find Hershel on the ground next to a broken wheelbarrow. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Supposedly, Hershel had hired him to stop working too hard.

"I can't get this damn wheel on the da-" He quickly cut off when he saw his daughter behind the redneck. "Bethy! Honey, when did you get here?" he asked, taking Daryl's hand to stand up.

"About an hour ago." Beth giggled giving her daddy a hug. "I take it you've met Daryl?"

Daryl looked up hearing his name and smirked at Beth's reddening cheeks.

"Sure have," she muttered "He's not much of a talker though." she crossed her arms defensively, making Hershel laugh. His daughter was a sure chatterbox; the total opposite of his new farm hand.

"Yeah, he's just gotta get used to having you around is all. He's a good man, been helping me around since February. He hardly lets me do anything anymore!" he said, gesturing to the newly fixed wheelbarrow behind Daryl.

"Good, you shouldn't be overworking yourself." Beth scolded, "Where are Shawn and Maggie?" Hershel smiled, recalling the fight his two eldest had that morning before going their own way.

"Maggie's gone out of town with Glenn to see his family, and Shawn went camping with Brittany for the weekend." The youngest Greene rolled her eyes at the mention of Shawn's current girlfriend.

"He's still keeping that wench around?" To her side, Daryl Dixon let out an almost silent laugh. He'd met Brittany a couple of times himself, and those had been his exact thoughts upon meeting her. That girl was meaner than a hungry pit-bull. "Why don't we all go inside and you can fix us up with a tall glass of lemonade, Bethy?" Hershel asked, gesturing for Daryl to  come along. The 30 year old man kept to himself as father and daughter chattered along. Thank the lord Maggie convinced Hershel to install air conditioning. He took a seat across from Hershel and began to discuss the strength of the fence around the farm.

"We should still buy about 50 more pounds of cement, just in case." Daryl said. Hershel nodded in agreement just as Beth came out of the kitchen with a pitcher and three glasses of lemonade.

"Hey daddy, Jimmy's coming out to pick me up in a couple of hours. He's taking me to a sweet little country bar just outside of town." Daryl glanced up at the mention of Jimmy. Hershel had told him many stories of that boy; he'd played with Beth's emotions all through high school, and had even tried to physically hurt her before she'd gone to college. It was a good thing Shawn had gotten there before any real damage was done.

"Sweetheart, is that really a good idea?" her father asked, setting his lemonade down. Beth sighed and looked up at her dad, doe eyed and batting her eyelashes perfectly. The old man is a goner, Daryl thought to himself before Beth had even opened her mouth.

"I know Daddy, but Jimmy wouldn't hurt me. We've been talking...he's changed." Hershel shook his head. Probably trying to shake out Beth's puppy face. "Bethy, you're a grown woman, I know that, but I'm still your daddy. I don't want you to get hurt again." Beth nodded along. "And Shawn won't be there this time." The young woman smiled and looked at Daryl before turning to face her father.

"Well, what if Daryl came along? It's not like a date or anything...I'm sure Jimmy wouldn't mind." Shit.

"I would feel much better knowing you were there, son." Hershel said, addressing Daryl who'd rolled his eyes as soon as Beth invited him along.

"Fine. But I'm taking Sunday off." he growled, getting up and walking down the hall. Beth stared after him in surprise before turning to Hershel.

"Where is he goin'?"

"He lives here."

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And that's the first chapter! I will try and start things off slow (but not too slow). There will NOT be any zombies and I WILL try to include most of the characters from the show. Hope you guys enjoyed! - J