The familiar fields and farmhouses of King County rambled past the bus window as Beth Greene finally made her way home. She had been discharged from the combat support hospital at Fort Benning a week early, and hadn't told a single soul. Although she knew her sister Maggie would have been more than happy to bring her back, Beth had wanted to make the journey alone.
It felt strange being back here after everything that had happened in the past two years. Two years... she thought, Is anything going to be the same? She wasn't even sure she wanted to go home knowing her father wouldn't be there. Eighteen months after joining the army as a nurse, Beth had been devastated by the news that Hershel Greene had been killed in a seemingly random knife attack. She had been making arrangements to come home for her father's funeral when the base she was stationed at was bombed. Beth rubbed her head and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. She did not want to think about what had happened after that, she was putting it all behind her now. That was another life.
Knowing she still had some time before the bus stopped, Beth reached into the large, khaki bag on the seat next to her. She pulled out a battered green notebook, and started flicking through. It was more like a scrapbook, filled with diary entries, poems, photographs, drawings, and letters. She stopped at a dog eared envelope, and pulled out a small stack of photos. They were taken the day before she left the farm for college, at the party her family had thrown for her. The first photo was of her whole family sitting on the porch steps of the farmhouse. Maggie's boyfriend, Glenn, had set up the camera on a timer, but hadn't quite managed to get in the photo before it took; Otis was busy looking at Patricia instead of the camera; but everyone was laughing, smiling. Shawn had managed to get the day off work to be there, and he and her father had their arms around each others shoulders, Shawn toasting his drink toward the camera. Beth was on his other side, with Maggie, laughing at Glenn as he stumbled towards them.
Daddy looks so happy here, Beth thought as she turned to the next photograph. It was a picture of him standing at the barbecue next to Rick Grimes, the local sheriff, and - "Daryl," she said aloud.
She lifted the photo closer, frowning as she studied his face. Standing slightly behind Rick, he had been taking a drag of his cigarette when the photo had been taken, and was definitely not impressed at being in the impromptu snap. In fact, it was the only photo he had been captured in the entire night, and only one of a few Beth had of him. Resisting the urge to dig them out, Beth flicked through the other photos from the party, trying to distance herself from the thought of Daryl Dixon. Looking out of the window, Beth's heart quickened as she recognised where she was. She carefully returned the photos back to their envelope in the notebook, and placed it back in her bag.
A small hint of a smile danced on her lips as the bus came to a stop near the end of a long dirt track that Beth knew very well. The journey had only taken about two hours, and Beth had felt nervous the whole way. The butterflies that had taken residence in the pit of her stomach only intensified as she stood up, grabbed her bag, and made her way down the aisle of the bus.
The bus driver, a self-effacing man with a kind smile, had agreed to look out for a sign that said 'Greene Farm' along this stretch of road when Beth had gotten on.
"Thank you for making this stop, Jim, I know it's not a scheduled one," Beth stopped next to him and nodded, "I really appreciate it."
The man smiled at her, bashfully rubbed his dark beard and said "Ah, that's alright. You take care, now."
There was a loud creaking as the doors swung open, and Beth hesitated for half a minute before stepping off the bus and into the Georgia midday sunshine.
"Well," she said aloud to herself, looking around at the sun bleached grass, the tall oak trees, and the dirt track disappearing into the woods. "This is the same."
After she had said good bye to Jim and watched the bus trundle off down the road, Beth took in her surroundings, breathing deeply. Her heart seemed to know she was home – the heavy thumping had slowed, and the butterflies had taken off somewhere. She had forgotten what fresh, country air smelled like. The more she breathed it in, the calmer she felt.
Catching sight of the 'Greene Farm' sign, Beth walked over and inspected it. It was definitely looking a bit more weathered than she remembered.
"Hmmm... You're not quite the same. I guess I'll have to fix you up." And with that, she adjusted the bag on her shoulders and started walking down the track.
Twenty minutes later she was standing on that porch and staring at the front door. Now she had gotten here, she wasn't sure what to do. Should she knock? Was anyone even home? Where had she put her key? She put reached for the screen handle, and pulled it open. Good start, she thought. Beth placed her hand on the front door knob and turned. It opened.
Stepping into the cool hallway, she inhaled the smell of home – furniture polish, food, and coffee. Beth dropped her bag onto the floor and headed straight for the kitchen, a real smile finally brightening her face. She hadn't had a decent cup of coffee in two years.
Beth sat down at the kitchen table, and took a sip from her favourite mug. "Oh, now that is good!" she breathed as she went for another mouthful.
About five minutes later, she heard the front door creak open, and a familiar voice say, "What the... Oh my goodness..! Beth?! BETHY?!"
Beth froze, her heart hammering in her chest. Before she could answer, Maggie was in the doorway, holding onto the frame as if it was the only thing keeping her vertical.
"Don't know anyone else that carries around a military issue backpack then, I guess?" Beth smiled weakly, standing up
"You're... How did you... What happened?" Maggie gasped out.
"I got out early," she shrugged, "Got a bus. Thought it would be a nice surprise." She looked down at her boots, knowing that that wasn't the entire truth and hoping Maggie wouldn't catch on.
"Of course it's a nice surprise, I just.. I would've driven you home!"
Maggie pushed herself off the door frame and enveloped Beth in a hug. She shifted uncomfortably, but gingerly wrapped her arms around her sister's back all the same. Beth really had missed her, and was suddenly very pleased that she had gotten off that bus. Maggie stepped back and held Beth at the shoulders, looking at her. Her eyes moved across the three scars on Beth's face, but all she said was, "I'll fix something to eat in a bit, I see you've already helped yourself to the good coffee!"
She laughed nervously, and went to sit in the chair next to the one Beth had vacated. Maggie looked at her expectantly, and Beth sat down to join her.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't around when you got here. I went down to clean stables and feed the horses. You weren't waiting here long were you?" Maggie picked at the table cloth, a little anxious.
"No, not at all, don't worry about it." There was a short silence after Beth replied, and she worried she had been too short. "I've only been here about ten minutes now, it's fine really." she added, a little softer. Maggie relaxed, and cleared her throat.
"So, what happened? How come you're home early?" she asked tentatively, and Beth's hand automatically went to rub the scar above her left eyebrow.
"I just... Rehabilitated better than expected. Guess I'm stronger than I look." She gave her big sister a shy smile, and Maggie gave her a half exasperated grin in return as she stood up and headed for the fridge.
"You sure are. Oh, Bethy. I just can't believe you're here, I haven't even fixed your room proper yet! And I was planning a get together next weekend, you know, to welcome you home." She looked at Beth as she started making sandwiches. "With your say so, of course, I don't want to... Overwhelm you. If it would be too awful for you, just say?"
Beth raised her eyebrows, "Oh. Uh, next weekend should still be fine, I'd like some time to... You know... Settle in."
"Of course, of course, that's fine. Now, why don't you go and get yourself cleaned up for lunch?" Maggie grinned as she busied about the kitchen, although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
Beth gave her another shy smile back, and turned to leave the kitchen.
"Oh, and take your hat and boots off, Bethy, house rules still apply!" Maggie called after her in a sing-song way.
Beth rolled her eyes and chuckled as she unlaced her boots. I guess some things don't change, she thought as she climbed the stairs and headed for her bedroom.