The Bet

Part 1

"I dunno, he's kinda quiet and shy. I mean, back on the farm he was different. But after a winter on the road, and then with what we had to go through to get this place... he's changed."

"Yeah, ok great... I meant, like who is he sleeping with?"

Maggie gave you a wide-eyed look again, surprised at your boldness.

"No one that I know of," she said going back to cleaning snap peas. "But, I doubt you would get far with him."

"Why?"

"I dunno, you just don't seem like his type."

"I can change that," you said and felt a grin spread across your face.

"Yeah, Ok. I'll tell you what Y/N... You manage to be the one to tie Dixon down, and I'll do the gardening for a whole month by myself."

You looked at your friend and stuck out a hand to her. "Maggie, hun, you know better than to never dare me to do somethin'. I'll take that bet, happily."

Early the next morning you were woken up by the sound of bangs and clunks coming from down the cell block. Wiping your eyes of sleep, you got up and peeked out of the curtain. Daryl was pacing in and out of his cell, hands on hips mumbling to himself.

You couldn't make it out completely, but picked up a couple words, "Fuck is it?" he growled and stormed out of the cell block. His unclothed arms that emerged from the cut-off shirt were bulging in rage and sweat; his normal easy swagger was now fueled by anger, which somehow made him even sexier.

Since you were already awake, and your roommate was snoring loudly, you decided to get up and out early and head out to the laundry to get some of your work done. After throwing on some clothes, you caught sight of Beth near the wash tubs and wrinkled your nose at the thought of her being the first one you spoke to that morning.

As you approached her, you realized now why Daryl was in a fit of rage. Beth had his vest about to go in the wash, and given his demeanor earlier, you figured she didn't ask when she took it.

"Hey Beth," you sang cheerily, "Um, whatcha doin'?"

"Washing Daryl's vest," she said not looking at you.

"Ya know he's flipping the fuck out lookin' for it," you said trying to look at her, but the sun was blinding you.

"He is? I didn't mean anything by it, I just... it was so dirty. I was just trying to help."

"Lemme have it, I'll bring it back and tell him I found it out here. Won't tell him it was you."

Beth finally looked at you as though she was a child being chastised for being bad. Sheepishly, she handed you the vest before it touched the water.

"You really won't tell him?" she asked, eyes begging you to keep your word.

"I promise. Now, why don't you go see if Rick's up, I'm sure he'll need you to care for Judy today."

She gave you one last untrusting glance before turning and walking away. Gently folding Daryl's vest, you hurried back to your cell and stuffed it into your gear bag. Maggie's bet was fresh in your mind from the day before, and you felt determined to make this the day that you won a month off of working in the garden.

With the pack slung over your shoulder, you set off to find Maggie. She and Glenn were sitting at one of the outdoor tables near the barbecue having breakfast. As you approached them, they were snuggled close and sharing a private giggle. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at them, but also feel the slightest twinge of jealousy.