He glanced at his reflection. He didn't even look like himself, at least not how he used to. His features were darker, sadder. The reflection in the mirror was just an emotionless man who didn't know what to with his life.
His trembling hand fumbled with a black tie. He was never good with ties, and the last time he wore one was a couple of years ago. He finally gave up on it and let it fall to the floor. He starts to make his way down the dark hallway.
He passed rooms that held so much meaning, so much love, and so many memories. His blue eyes glance at the photos as he makes his way down the stairs. He remembered carrying her up these stairs on their honeymoon. He remembers hearing her laugh and then suddenly a sharp sting shoots through him. He couldn't even think of her without getting crushed again.
Abigail was at Maggie and Glenn's. They said they'd meet him at the Greene Family Farm. He dreaded the walk to his truck as the dark clouds formed in the sky. The weather forecast did say that there would be rain coming.
He sat there in his truck a second, gripping the steering wheel. How could he have let this happen? After everything they went through, after all the time they were together, after so much love was made how could he have let this happen to her? Daryl had to admit that it was his fault. He had been avoiding it for a long time, but now that he realized that this thing was actually real and he was heading to her funeral he had to admit it. He hated himself for it. He hated himself for letting himself feel this way because he knew she wouldn't want this. She probably hated him, and he wouldn't blame her.
As he drove, it started to sprinkle. Tears fell down his face as the farm came into view. He saw cars lined up outside of the house, and two police cars that would lead everyone out to the burial. He slowly parks and looks up at the huge house.
He didn't know why Hershel wanted the funeral here. It held too many memories and it burned as he climbed out of the truck. Hershel was standing on the porch talking to officers Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh.
Daryl didn't really know Rick and Shane, all he knew was that they had known his brother, Merle, all too well. Merle was supposed to be here. Daryl doubted he'd come though. Merle was never one to care much for Daryl's personal life, however Daryl wished he'd be here just this once.
He made his way to the steps and slowly climbed them. Hershel caught sight of him and Daryl saw he'd been crying. "Officer Grimes, Officer Walsh, this is Daryl Dixon. Beth's husband." Hershel introduced. The officers took off their hats and looked at Daryl, who didn't seem to give off any emotion.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Grimes says. "Beth used to work with my wife, Lori, at a local daycare. She was a good woman."
Shane nodded in agreement at his friend's words. "If there's anything you need, let us know."
Daryl never thought he'd hear them say those things. He always thought they'd had it out for the Dixon family and he never thought they'd ever be there for him . . . He still didn't believe the words that Shane said. Rick's however seemed very real, while Shane's were filled with spice and had a sourness to them.
Daryl grunted and nodded a thanks to the officers, who soon made their way into the house where Daryl could hear people talking.
"Are you okay, son?" Hershel turns to Daryl.
He only nodded. "What about you?"
"I know she's up in heaven. Son, we all miss her. Are you going to be okay?" He repeats his previous question, as if he thought Daryl might have been lying to him.
Daryl doesn't have time to think before he hears a car door shut. Daryl and Hershel both turn to see Maggie and Glenn walking up. Abigail in Maggie's arms.
"Look, Abby." Glenn cooed. "It's Daddy!"
Maggie and Glenn made their way to the two men and the little one year old looked at her father with a smile. Abigail leaned over in Maggie's arms and her fists closed and opened in a desperate motion to Daryl. Daryl felt his bottom lip tremble but he fought it as he reached out for his daughter.
He took her in his arms and Abigail smiles up at him. "Hey, sweetheart." His voice is gentle and he kisses his daughter's hair.
Abigail was a strong reminder of Beth. She had Daryl's hair, but she clearly inherited
Beth's blue eyes. Maggie had dressed Abigail in a black dress and there was a bow in her brown hair. Daryl sniffed and looked and Maggie and Glenn.
"She wouldn't stop crying last night." Glenn says as Maggie hugs her father and tears fall
from her eyes. "She misses you, man."
"She'll come home with Daryl tonight." Hershel answers. "Beth would've wanted it to be
that way."
"Okay." Maggie nodded. Glenn and Maggie headed in, followed by Hershel. Daryl wasn't
quite reading to go in and see her. He took a seat on the porch steps and sets Abigail in his lap. He rests his forehead against his daughters head.
"I'm sorry, Abby." He sniffs. "If it wasn't for me your mommy would still be here."
Abigail looks at her father and places a hand at the ends of his dark hair and lightly pulls on it. Beth always did like Daryl's hair, he guessed Abigail took after her for that.
"Son?" Hershel's voice came from behind the screen door. "It's starting."
He heard Hershel's footsteps fade and Daryl looks to Abigail one last time. "Lets go say bye to Mommy, okay?" He walks into the room and it hits him like a truck.
The scent of Beth is everywhere as Father Gabriel stands in front of a coffin decorated in flowers. Furniture had been moved from the livingroom and chairs were placed there. Daryl stands at the back of the room and looks at all the people there. He recognized a few. There was Carol, who was his best friend in high school, and her daughter Sophia.
Carol had always been there for Daryl, and she even admitted she had a crush on him one time. Daryl never returned the favor though. He and Carol went their separate ways when she went to college and he worked at a motorcycle shop for a living. She went on and got married to some guy named Ed and had Sophia. The two didn't talk much ever since he married Beth, which was the last time he saw her, but seeing her here really felt nice.
The next person he saw was Rick Grimes and his family sitting in the middle row of chairs. Lori Grimes was a teacher with Beth at a daycare and he remembered how happy Beth was when she finally got a job she'd liked. Carl Grimes didn't know Beth very well, but he knew that his mother knew her. Carl was a good kid, and Beth had said that she'd watch Lori pick up Carl from school school one day.
His eyes drift to other faces, other faces that had tears down them or a saddened look of grief on their faces. He slowly makes his way down the aisle and takes a seat next to Carol in the front row. Carol looks at her old friend and then at Abigail. Daryl doesn't take his gaze off of the woman who lays behind Gabriel as he continues talking. Carol frowns and she slowly slips her hand into Daryl's as his other one holds onto Abigail tightly.
Gabriel soon is done talking and people are allowed to walk up to the coffin. Daryl slowly stands, Carol's hand slipping from his, and he follows Beth's family to the coffin. Daryl held Abigail tightly as Maggie cried and Glenn held onto her waist tightly and led her away from the coffin. Daryl stepped up and looked down at his wife.
Her hair was curled and it was spread out over the pillow in a beautiful, almost looking like a halo. Her makeup was beautiful and she looked like she was sleeping. She wore a white dress and her feet were bare. Daryl looked to her closed eyes and wished he could see those eyes one more time, and he gulped back a sob when he heard Abigail.
"M - M - Momma." Her tiny voice was so quiet yet so loud. Daryl quickly walked away from the coffin and let tears fall silently.
It was now seven at night, and everyone had headed home. Daryl pulled into the driveway of the empty house in which he lives. It was out in the woods, and it was quiet out here. Daryl takes Abigail in his arms and walks into the darkened house.
"'Bout time ya got 'ere, lil brother." Merle's voice rang through the house was Daryl flipped on the light switch. Daryl frowned.
"What are ya doin' here?" Daryl growls, trying not to lose his temper as he made his way upstairs. Merle was sitting on the couch, beer in hand, and cigarette in the other. Daryl ignored his brother as he carried a sleeping Abigail up stairs, his brother following. He tucks Abigail in her crib and closes the door.
"Listen . . . I know this is a bad time ta be showin' up." Merle starts as Daryl stomps down the stairs and into the living room. "But . . . I stopped by the funeral and . . . Are you listenin'?"
"No." Daryl spits as he walks to the fridge and grabs a beer for himself.
"Well, listen'." Merle's voice is serious. Daryl stays silent as he opens the bottle and starts to chug it down. "I know I ain't been the best brother to ya. And I know that I was shit to ya . . . Lil brother . . . This ain't easy to say."
"Than get out." Daryl growls as he throws the empty bottle into the trash and goes to grab another. "I don't want to hear ya."
'I think ya do."
Daryl stops and looks at his brother.
Merle continues. "I said to ya once that ain't nobody ever gonna love ya like I do." Daryl looks at the bottle as the memory burns into his mind. "I was wrong."
Daryl looks slowly at the man and can't help but look confused. "What do you mean?"
"Beth loved ya. I didn't know that girl' but damn she sure could put you in your place when she needed to." Merle lets out a small laugh. "She was the only girl I saw that could get under your skin . . ."
Tears form in Daryl's eyes as he quickly walks into the living room and tires to busy himself by flipping through channels on the tv. Merle follows him, but everytime Merle tried to get close, Daryl would step five feet away.
"Daryl . . . She wouldn't want ya ta be acting like no pussy. Understand? She wouldn't want ya like this." Merle says. Daryl looks at his brother.
"When were you one for words?"
"Since I . . . Got better. Believe it or not baby brother, I actually found someone." Merle announces. Merle with someone? The thought made Daryl almost laugh in disbelief. "And I know love. What you and Beth had was love and some bastard took it away from ya'll before it ever began . . . So stop actin' like a pussy and thinkin' that it was your fault, because it ain't."
Daryl looks at the floor, vision blurry. Merle tries to take a step forward, but Daryl's hands push on his chest and push him back. "No!"
"It ain't your fault! Get that through your head!" Merle's voice is loud. Daryl can't help but let Merle step forward and in the most strangest thing ever, Merle hugs him. Daryl can't remember being hugged by anyone that wasn't Beth, let alone Merle. Merle was either on drugs and acting weird, or this woman he was with really was changing him, in a similar way to how Beth changed Daryl. Daryl's hands weakly hit Merle's back as he sobs and then they slowly stop. He just sobs and Merle was finally being the brother he was supposed to be.
Sobs breakthrough Daryl and he feels broken. He feels angry and hot tears pour down his face. "I hate you! I hate you!" He yells as he tries to escape Merle's grip, but Merle's hold on him is too strong. Daryl's words change as he yells. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate myself! I hate myself! It's my fault!"
"It ain't, Daryl!" Merle's voice overpowers Daryl's by a thousand and Daryl just gives up.
"I lost her . . . I lost her . . ." Daryl's voice breaks and Merle pulls away from the hug.
"Listen, baby bro. You got a kid, and Heaven forbid she's anythin' like ya," Merle jokes on the last sentence. "But ya gotta be okay. For her. Ya can't sit around her sulkin' all day. Beth wouldn't want that and your sorry ass knows it."
Daryl only stares at his brother and for once, he believes Merle actually believes what he's saying. Merle was the last person he'd expect to get comfort from, out of all the people in the world, but he was grateful for it.
Daryl doesn't say anything and Merle clears his throat. "Well, I leave ya. Ya know where ta find me if ya need anythin." Merle heads out without another word.
Daryl stands there in the loud silents and then slowly heads up to his room. Beth's scent is still on the sheets and he sees a turned over photo lying on the nightstand. He slowly reaches for it and turns it over.
The photo is of their wedding day. It was a few years before Abigail was born and it was the last time Daryl remembered wearing a tie. Daryl lets a small smile spread across his lips as he sets it on the stand. He had turned it over when he found out about what had happened.
He hears Abigails cries and he quickly walks to her room, only coming back a few minutes later with her in his arms. He lays on the bed, Abigail laying on his chest, and he watches as she drifts to sleep. Soon he finds his eyes closing as well.
An angel stands there and watches her husband and daughter sleep. She can't help but smile as she watches them. She'd miss them, God would she miss them, but she'd always be there to watch over them. Her white wings are soft, and her halo is bright. She walks over to her side of the bed and lays down.
She smiles at the two and slowly runs her fingers through Daryl's hair. She leans on her elbow and places a kiss to his lips and a kiss to Abigail's head. "I love you. I'll always be with you." She whispers close to Daryl's ear.
Then, without a word, she disappears in a flash of light, knowing that they'd be okay.
Hi everyone! So, this is proably the last one shot I'll do for Beth's death. I will hopefully be working on my other stories aswell. I'm still really upset about Beth's death, but I think I've come to terms with it now . . . And by terms I mean I'm not believeing she's gone . . . Anyway, I do think that it was really weird for me to add Merle in here as a comfort kind of thing. I don't know why I did, but I guess I didn't know what else to do. I don't even think I captured the characters very well ether. :( Anway, please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Thanks! :)