This is my first ever attempt at writing a fanfic, so I hope it's not too bad! I couldn't resist my love for Bethyl! I apologize if there are many mistakes but I have no beta! If you like it let me know, and I will try and continue it :)

The waiting room felt so cold that evening as Beth waited, worried and impatient, for the result of the x-rays. Those pictures were going to change the course of her future forever. They were going to determine whether all those years spent shedding tears, and blood, and sweat over the ice would have had their right, happy ending.
Life wasn't right, though.

Beth knew it, she had learned it the hard way in her twenty-three years of life. Life was sacrifice, life was fighting, and, sadly, sometimes life was losing a battle or letting go of a dream.
She knew it, and yet she was sitting there praying with all her being that Zach's injury wasn't as bad as it looked.

The Olympics were only a year and a half away, and after more than three years skating together her and Zach were one of the best pair-skaters in the country. Sure, an Olympic gold was almost an impossible achievement for such young skaters, but if they kept playing their cards right they had a chance of being one of the two American couples competing in Sochi, and you never know what happens.

That was, if Zach's leg turned out to be alright.

She turned towards her coach, Rick, and noticed how tense and pale he looked. It had to be hard on him, seeing Zach suffering the exact same accident that had ended his incredible career way too early and just when he and Lori were at their peak, ten years ago. They had been national champions three times, and world champions twice before the injury happened. After that, Rick had decided to become a coach, which quickly turned out to be an innate talent of his, while Lori had preferred staying at home and finally be able to care for their kids. They were happy, but Beth knew how much Rick had wanted that Olympic Gold, and now he was risking losing it all over again.

"How long will we have to wait?" she asked, trying not to sound as panicked as she actually was, nervously pulling on a strand of blonde hair that had come loose from her braid.

"They should tell us any minute now" Rick replied, a resigned look on his face.

"Rick, if he can't… what will we…?" Beth didn't want to say it out loud, it was just too much.

She had moved all the way to Massachusetts from Georgia when she was only seventeen for this. And Zach, too. His parents had put a mortgage on their house for him to be able to train with Rick and Beth.

"We will figure it out" he replied, but even he sounded uncertain for the very first time since she had met him.

Finally Bob Stookey, the surgeon, walked into the waiting room and Beth and Rick were immediately on their feet.

He didn't even have to talk. From the look on his face, Beth knew immediately it was bad news. Her heart was racing so fast that it was difficult for her to hear what he was saying, with all that pounding in her ears.

"I'm sorry. His anterior crossed ligament is badly torn, and he has two broken bones, one in his leg and one in his foot. I'm so sorry. We will do reconstructive surgeries and eventually he will walk again without problems, but…" he sighed, as tears started filling Beth's eyes "I'm sorry" he repeated "He won't be able to skate again."

And, just like this, it was over.

She couldn't cope with being in her house all by herself crying her eyes out, so Rick had offered her the guest room for the night.

Never had a dinner at the Grimes' being sadder than the one they had that night, with Lori trying to make them feel better with ice-cream, but having a really distraught expression on her face as well.

When Carl and Judith went to bed, the three of them went to the living room, where they sat down on the huge couch to talk about what was gonna happen next.

"Are we a hundred percent sure that Zach won't be able to recover?" Lori asked, in a small voice.

Rick nodded, before explaining, "I had a talk with Michonne, showed her the pics. No way the kid's gonna be able to skate after that."

Michonne was the team's physiotherapist, and if she said there was no chance, Beth was more than inclined to believe her. She sniffed, trying not to show them that she was crying again, but she couldn't help it. She would have had to start everything over, and she was already twenty-three. She would have been twenty-eight for the 2018, and that was if she could find a suitable partner for herself, and that was much, much harder than it sounded.

The reason why she worked so well with Zach was that they were both quiet, but very determinate and hardworking people. They never made a scene, they hardly ever fought, and their skating style was very similar: elegant, controlled and neat. That was why Rick had decided to pair them together, and he had been right.

What if she couldn't find anyone else? What if Rick decided to give up and take on another pair?

Lori put a hand on her arm and squeezed it gently, a sweet look in her big, brown eyes.

Rick finally looked at her, too, scratching his beard and seemingly thinking about something.

"I… I understand if you decide to drop me and pick another pair that's already formed. Everyone would love to be trained by you, and you deserve skaters that can take you to the Olympics" Beth said, and she meant it. She really did. It hurt, and she hoped with all her being that Rick wasn't gonna give up, but she also wished the best for him and if being her trainer wasn't it anymore, then she would have accepted it.

"Beth" his voice was firm, as he stared at her with intensity "I would never do that to you. You're one of the best skaters I've ever worked with, and I'll be damned if I can't find someone who will skate their way to Sochi with you"

She blinked, before shaking her head unhopefully.
"You know as well as I do that it even if you found the best skater in the universe we still wouldn't have nearly enough time to qualify for the Olympics. You know it takes at least one or two years to really reach peak, and…"

"Beth. I have trained you for almost four years now. You and Zach worked great together but you know the real reason why I chose to train you guys was you."

Beth opened her mouth to protest, but Lori interrupted her.

"It's true sweetie. You are an incredible skater, and anyone would be lucky to skate with you. We just need someone that will make you shine, someone who will complement your style" she said, encouragingly.

Beth nodded, but truth was, she was feeling really overwhelmed right now. It had been just a few hours since her Olympic dream had been shattered, and her and Zach had worked together for such a long time that she wasn't only aching for herself, but for him and his dream too.

They were as close as brother and sister, and they had grown up together in the ice skating rink. If she had to be completely honest, she was grateful that Rick didn't want to give up on her but she also felt a bit outraged that he was willing to move past Zach so quickly.

Lori seemed to sense that then, because she looked at her kindly while saying "Why don't you get some sleep? We don't have to figure it out right now, and we're all still upset about Zach".

Beth nodded, and she got up wishing them a good night.

She was about to walk out of the room when Rick stopped her, a hand on her shoulder and that intense, determined look he had given her so many times before a competition.

"We'll make it, Beth. I know we will. I believe in this team" he stated, seriously.

She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat, and he let her go.

"Rick, honey, it's almost 1 in the morning. Are you sure you don't wanna wait until tomorrow?"

"There's no time, Lori. And this is our only shot to get to the Olympics, or at least try"

"Are you sure you wanna call him? You know he hasn't skated in quite a long time, he could be completely out of shape.. besides, for all we know he doesn't even have a phone anymore. He's just been living in the middle of the woods back in Georgia."

Rick sighed. He knew it was a really long shot, and that if Daryl Dixon had ever accepted his offer, which was rvery unlikely to happen, everyone would have thought he had gone nuts, or at least that he was really, really desperate.

God, Beth would have hated him for it.

But Daryl was one of the best skaters he had ever met in his life, and they used to be really close friends too, before his accident happened and before Daryl had decided to retire without any explanation a couple of years later. And, he didn't know why, he just had a gut feeling about this.

"…'llo?"

"Daryl? It's Rick. We have to talk."