Hi everyone! So just a heads up this is my first fanfiction ever. I am taking a risk with this and putting myself out there like everyone else who writes these. I would really appreciate comments and reviews. Thank you to anyone who reads this. I hope you enjoy!

I do not own the Walking Dead or any of its characters.


Chapter 1- Daryl's POV

Daryl Dixon sat there motionless holding the dead body of tiny Beth Greene. Maggie was still screaming and sobbing over the death of her sister. Daryl's own tears had stopped falling a while ago. Now he just stared at the pale, blood covered, lifeless face of the girl he searched so hard to find. Little Beth reminded him so much of Bianca. Daryl tied not to think of his little sister very much, but he couldn't help it. Beth's kidnapping didn't help anything either. He had risked everything to get her back, but it wasn't good enough. Guilt and grief surged through the redneck. Suddenly a hand gently touched his shoulder. Daryl flinched and looked up at Rick.

"We need to bury her and move on." Rick stated grimly. "She wouldn't want us to give up now."

Daryl nodded. He knew he wasn't the only one mourning the loss of the blonde girl in his arms. Everyone had loved Beth. She was such a sweet, optimistic person, stuck in the middle of the apocalypse with everyone else. How she had managed to survive this long would have been a surprise to most people, but not Daryl. No when he and Beth got separated from the rest of the group, at the fall of the prison, he had seen a new side to her. She was just as strong as anyone else. Hell she was even stronger than some. Beth was one of the few people in this world with the courage to stand up to the hardened redneck, and insist that just because the world had gone to shit didn't mean they should let it change them for the worst. Beth and Bianca had that much in common, or at least they did. Daryl hadn't seen his baby sister in over ten years. He didn't even know if she was still alive. He missed her, thought about her almost everyday too. Beth had sort of provided Daryl a round about way of making it up to his sister for abandoning her, and now she was gone as well, and it was his fault just like before.

Daryl stood up slowly, clutching Beth's body in his arms. He knew Rick was right. They needed to take care of her body and move on. He could feel the heavy gazes of the other people in his group as he began walking forward towards the fire truck that some of the members had brought.

Glenn helped Maggie stand and held her close. After a minute, they followed Daryl, the rest of the group was right behind them. Everyone piled into the fire truck. Glenn still hugging the sobbing Maggie, and Daryl still clutching Beth.

They drove out of the city, making sure to put some major distance between themselves and the hospital, where everything had gone down. When they felt that they had gone far enough, they pulled over to the side of the road. Daryl placed Beth's body down, after wrapping it in a spare sheet they had tucked away. He walked a short distance and began digging a grave. Rick, Glenn, Noah, and Abraham soon joined in.

When it was deep enough Carl brought Beth over and handed her down to his dad. Rick climbed out of the grave and they all began to shovel the dirt back in. Everyone gathered around. Rick cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Beth died fighting for what she believed in. She stood her ground and refused to give in, even knowing she faced certain death. We all loved her and she will be dearly missed. Beth wouldn't want us to grieve for too long though. She would look at smile and say, "Cheer up, I am in a better place now and y'all just need to worry about keeping yourselves alive and us. We will meet again." That girl was one of the sweetest, most caring, and optimistic girls this world has ever had. We are going to do her right and honor her memory by continuing to fight."

Halfway through Rick's speech, Maggie had stopped sobbing. Tears still streamed down her face but she now looked determined. "Rick's right, guys my sister loved life, but I know she wouldn't want us to be too upset over her. She would call us silly and say she was happy and in heaven with Daddy. Now I don't know about y'all but I am going to make her proud." With that said she walked up to the grave, touch the stone that they had placed there as a grave marker, and walked away. The rest of the group followed her.

Daryl however remained where he was. He sat there and stared at her grave. Tears began to run down his face for the third time that day. " I'm so sorry Beth. I tried to stop them from taking you. I tried to find you. I tried to get you back. I was so close too. I should'a tried harder. It's my fault. It should'a been me not you. You deserved to live. What's the life of a stupid, worthless, redneck compared to that of a sweet and innocent girl. I tried for you and I tried for Bianca. I failed you both." Daryl was full out sobbing now. His body was shaking with his cries.

He sat there till all the daylight was gone. When he felt the cold creeping into his bones, he stood and walked over to rejoin the group. Daryl kept his eyes down and sat near Carol. She tried to put her arm around her, but he just shrugged it off. He didn't deserve comfort. It was his fault Beth was dead.

Rick stood up and got everyone's attention. "Look, I know the last few days have been hard. Tonight we will camp here. Tomorrow we will take off and start looking for a new base. We also need to start scavenging for supplies. Ours are getting dangerously low again." Rick looked around and saw people nodding in agreement. "Alright, Abe and Rosita, you have first watch. Mishonne and myself will take over for second shift. Everyone else, get some rest."

The group split up then, finding places to sleep for the night, never straying to far from everyone else. Daryl knew he should try and get some sleep, but it was pointless. Every time he closed his eyes his mind replayed Beth's death. Eventually exhaustion won and he fell into a restless sleep plagued with nightmares.