Note- I hope things aren't so confusing as we flash forward and backwards in time to get the snippets as to why they are divorced and how their relationship was. There will NOT be any bed hopping between Daryl and Beth for a very long time, but them seeing other people IS a possibility. They WILL get back together eventually, just bear with me ok? Thank you everyone for enjoying this story, I rather enjoy writing them AU. Oh, and before I forget, mostly any place/thing mentioned in this story is a very real place you can Google.
-Riain


"Hey Dad, look who I caught red handed in Grandma's cookie jar!"

Hershel Greene turned around at the sound of his son's voice, seeing Sean with Emma on his hip and Wyatt trailing behind with a cookie in his hand. Confusion set in the old veterinarian's heart, he knew it wasn't a break from school and it wasn't a holiday. Something must not be right in the Dixon home, for the kids to be in Georgia.

"Papaw!" Emma hollered, wiggling out of her uncle's grasp to run into her Grandfather's open arms. Emma wrapped her chocolate coated sticky hands around Hershel's neck, (not that he cared one bit) giving a big squeeze. Wyatt wrapped his little arms around the both of them, greeting his Grandfather with a warm hug.

"Well hello strangers! What brings you to the farm? Everything okay at school and on the ranch?" Hershel spoke softly, as to not clue the children into the worry in his voice. The children didn't need to be worked up any more than they already were from the journey down from Wyoming.

Wyatt was the one to answer around a mouthful of cookie. "Nah Papaw. Things ain't good at home. Mom and Pop're fighting. School's okay though." Wyatt was always the one to tell it like it was, even at nine years old. Emma sniffled, burying her nose farther into Hershel's neck and shoulder. Grandpa rubbed his large hand over her back, trying to soothe the youngest of the family. Emma was so much her mother's daughter, tender hearted but strong.

"Hmm. Is that so? Well, let's go find your Aunt Maggie and see if she can get you all fed while I look for your Mama. That sound okay?" Hershel needed to locate his youngest and see what was going on, he knew things had been tedious since Beth's accident, but he was hopeful it was getting better. Maggie and Sean would keep the kids occupied on the farm while Hershel sought out Beth.

Wyatt nodded; following along beside the Greene patriarch, Emma bobbing along on his shoulder with her thumb in her mouth, nearly asleep. The trio found Maggie in the chicken coop, collecting that days eggs. Maggie's smile of joy at seeing the youngest of the Greene/Dixon clan turned to a concerned frown at the sight of Emma's flushed face.

"Daddy, what's going on? Why are the kids here? Where's Beth and Daryl?" Maggie handed the basket of eggs to Wyatt, taking Emma from her father's gentle grasp. Emma wrapped her arms around Maggie's neck, gripping into her aunt's hair tightly.

Hershel waved his hand, keying Maggie into not discussing it in front of the children. "Can you get them something to eat? I'm sure they are hungry and tired after their trip. I'm going to find your mother and your sister, and try to find out what's going on at the very least."

"Sure Daddy. Come on Wyatt, let's get those eggs in the kitchen and maybe see about some scrambled eggs and bacon ok?" Maggie gave her father a watery smile as he smoothed down Emma's hair with the palm of his hand. Wyatt followed along silently behind his aunt, the promise of food keeping him appeased for the moment.

Hershel found Beth and Annette upstairs in the bed he built for his new bride the beginning of their marriage. Beth's head was in Annette's lap, the rest of her slim body curled into itself as Annette stroked her hair. Tears stained Beth's cheeks and her mother's apron; from the puffiness of Beth's face Hershel could tell she had been crying for a long while. Sighing softly, Hershel sat down at Beth's feet, patting his daughter's leg gently. His heart breaks once more seeing the once vibrant blue eyes that were full of life, now a dull, lifeless grey. Hershel is not entirely sure if it's the drugs they put Beth on, what's going on between her and Daryl or a combination of both. If he was a betting man, the latter was his safe bet.

"Honey, I know things haven't been the best for you lately. What's going on with you and Daryl that you came all the way from Wyoming without notice?" Hershel and Annette had taught their children that with a little bit of faith, hope and try that they could work through anything. For Beth to up and run from Wyoming, it had to be something pretty bad, and he feared the worst.

Beth shuddered as she took a breath; her eyes bored into her father's as the words came out deadpan from her trembling lips, tears streaking down her cheeks:

"Daddy, Daryl cheated on me."


Beth woke up Saturday morning, seeing new snow blanketing the ground outside her bedroom window. By her best guess using the tree outside in the back yard, there was easily ten inches down. Grumbling to herself, Beth shrugged into the fuzzy robe her parents gave her last Christmas. Going down the stairs, she smelled the Keurig Daryl had bought her making a cup of vanilla Kona. The sweet smell filled her senses, but didn't drown out the silence of the house. Beth clicked on the TV, the Denver 9 news going through all the road closures for weather. I25 was closed from Denver to Cheyenne, US 85 from Greeley to Cheyenne and US 287 from Fort Collins to Laramie. Almost every route in and out of Wyoming was closed due to weather. At least the TV killed the quiet, even if it made Beth worried about the weather and Daryl getting the kids home Sunday evening. Daryl would find a way to get the kids home, one way or another. If Daryl was anything, he was resourceful.

Sitting down at the kitchen counter with a plate of bacon and eggs, Beth started in on grading that week's homework. She couldn't bear to teach high school, but third grade was a good pace for her. There were a few bright minds in her class, that she enjoyed challenging a bit more than the others. Children were resilient, eager to learn more and easier to deal with. Beth loved teaching, it was her passion in life other than being a parent. The kids she taught helped to fill the void that would never be completely filled.

Beth heard her cellphone ringing from downstairs, she took the stairs by twos to get to it. She heard the beep of a voicemail before she swiped at the screen. Seeing the call was Daryl, Beth quickly dialed into voicemail.

"Hey Beth, it's me. Can you give me a call back? Thanks." Daryl's no-nonsense voice made Beth's stomach flip flop. Hitting redial got Beth into Daryl's voicemail, which made her leave a message. She wasn't worried about the kids being with their dad, it was typical for them to call her when they got around in the morning. Beth sighed as she set the phone back down on the nightstand. She breezed through the cozy bedroom, pulling clothes out of her closet for the day's errands. These Saturdays without the kids were the best time to grocery shop as well as any other errands that were time consuming. Today's list was a bit longer, as Beth was planning on making the plans for the trip to Georgia for Christmas. The kids didn't know they were going down to the farm yet, and neither did Beth's parents.

Hot water cascaded down her shoulders and back as she washed her hair, singing along with the Bluetooth sea creature speaker the kids got Beth for her birthday this year. It was a handy contraption, the sky blue octopus was stuck to the tile of the shower wall and was voice activated. Beth had mentioned she wanted one, and the next weekend the kids were with Daryl the box arrived in the mail.

"Hey Beth."

Beth didn't realize the phone was ringing until she heard Daryl's voice break through waterfall, her skin instantly heating in a deep blush. Beth's hands instinctually moved to cover herself, for a moment forgetting the man she had children with wasn't really there to see her naked.

"Um hey Daryl. How are you and the kids?" Beth took a deep breath before continuing on with her shower, she was sure Daryl had no idea what she was doing anyway. Not that he would care really, there was plenty of times in their marriage she had him on speakerphone while doing something else.

"We're good. Took the kids out for a ride this morning, Emma's tooth came out with breakfast. So she's gonna get a visit from the tooth fairy tonight. She's laying down for a nap while Wyatt finishes reading his book and writing that report. What're you up to?" Daryl's voice echoed in the shower stall, making Beth's body react as it used to when his voice would vibrate off her skin when they were making love.

"Honestly? I'm in the shower, talking to you through that little sea creature Bluetooth you and the kids got me for my birthday. I'm just about done though." The blush was rising higher on Beth's skin, thoughts turning through pages of memory that were of the more erotic kind than clean.

She heard Daryl chuckle, knowing more than likely his brain was in the same place as hers. Daryl wasn't known for having clean thoughts all the time, one of the reasons she fell for him so long ago was his particular flavor of smart ass.

"Oh yeah? How's it working out for you?" The smart ass in his voice was strong at the moment, he never let anything get past him.

Beth swallowed hard, scrambling to gain control over her hormones and voice. She reached over, inching the temperature knob to cold, forcing her thoughts to the cool water rushing over her skin.

"It works really well if you can't tell. Do you think you and the kids will make it back Sunday night? I can meet you in Tie Siding if it's easier." Beth grabbed for a towel, moving quietly through the bathroom setting her things out to brush her hair and put on a bit of makeup.

Not only did she have errands today, but she was meeting a friend for lunch after errands. Stephen was an English teacher at one of the middle schools in Fort Collins, they had met by chance at Old Firehouse Bookstore when Craig Johnson was doing a book signing for his latest Walt Longmire mystery. They went to plays together, book readings, dinners and concerts, but Beth wouldn't call them a couple. Not even dating. Stephen was a really great guy who deserved someone so much better than Beth, and Beth was still licking her wounds from her divorce with Daryl.

"Yeah seems like it works alright. Nah, don't worry about trying to meet me halfway through the mountains. I'm sure 287 is closed. I'll get the kids back down, don't you worry about it. Hey Emma, wanna say hi to Mama?" Daryl was always looking out for Beth's safety, even when he really didn't need to anymore. It was just how he was, protecting everyone he held dear, which probably stemmed from his rough childhood.

Emma was delighted to get to chat with her mother, telling Beth all about the morning's ride and the animals they had seen. When Emma hung up the phone, Beth felt a pang of longing in the pit of her stomach. She missed riding the horses, but most of all she missed enjoying the experiences like Emma described with her children. It made Beth remember why she wasn't with Daryl anymore, and why things were the way they were. As painful as it may be, Daryl wasn't hers anymore, and Beth had to move on in life without him.