State Fair is one of my favorite musicals and naturally, it is perfect inspiration for The Orchard universe.

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The clock ticking in the hallway said it was not even five o'clock yet, the sky just now beginning to turn gray as the sun drew nearer to rising, but Beth had been quite up for a while now already. She had so much to do today in preparation and she hadn't been able to get back to sleep once Daryl had woken up from a dream – nightmare – that he had left him sweating and shaking and Beth had had him rest his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair until he had managed to fall back asleep. But Beth hadn't been able to after that. He didn't have nightmares every night and when he did, most of the time, he pulled himself away and went out into the barn to stay with Merle, because – as he explained it to her – he didn't want anything like that near her.

Beth didn't care. She loved Daryl – every single thing about him – and she would never, ever think there was anything wrong with him even if he didn't believe the same thing about himself.

She was relieved – and surprised – that he was able to fall asleep once again, but she found herself able to do nothing except lay there and listen to him breathe and stare up at their dark bedroom ceiling. Her husband had been through a war and had seen so many things and had done so many things and gone through so many things and Beth knew that she would probably never know because Daryl would never tell her. She wished he would though. She knew she probably did not really want to know everything that he had experienced during his years served – mainly in France and then Germany – but maybe if he told her and she knew, she would be able to help him when he had his nightmares.

Maybe she'd be able to do something more for him than just stroke his hair.

Beth sat at the kitchen table now, Smokey – their black Lab – sleeping on her bare feet, keeping them warm for her, and she filled in the cards she needed for her jars of jams.

Elizabeth Dixon

Senoia, Georgia

#43

Apple Jam

She was also going to be entering her apple butter, applesauce and her apple cinnamon pie – and Daryl was certain that all four of her entries would result in her bringing home four blue ribbons this year from the State's Fair. Beth didn't know about that.

Last year had been her first year entering anything – her apple jam then, too – and she had taken second place, which was wonderful enough for her. A blue ribbon was certainly a lovely dream and a good thing to work towards, but there was Susan Kramer and she always won the blue ribbon with her apple jam.

Hearing the back steps creak and then the outer screen door open, Beth lifted her head and a moment later, Merle stepped into the kitchen, but stopped just inside the door when he saw that Beth – and just Beth – was the only person in the room. Smokey instantly got up to go and greet him, his tail wagging happily as he did so.

She gave her brother-in-law a smile. "Good morning, Merle. You beat everyone here. Even Daryl." She stood up. "Please sit. Would you like some coffee?" She asked as she already moved towards the stove.

For a moment, it looked as if Merle was going to turn right around and go back outside and for a moment, Beth thought he would do just that. He had been living with them for six months. Six months since they picked him up from the train station after receiving the telegram that Merle hadn't died at all, but rather, they had just lost track of him – which was nearly just as bad. He had been a POW in a German camp and once the war ended, he had then been sent to a hospital in England for treatment and recuperation. And in that time, he had lost his hand and hadn't uttered a single word.

But none of that mattered. They were just beyond happy that he was alive and home now. They had fixed the attic up for him, but most nights, he preferred to sleep outdoors, not liking the feeling of the walls closing in on him. He slept in the hayloft of the barn, staying close to the animals.

"Here, Merle," Beth turned back to him with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She did not add anything to it, knowing that he preferred to drink it black. "Please, sit. I'm going to be making pancakes for breakfast. I can get them started if you'd like to eat now."

Merle took the cup from her hands and shook his head and she gave him a smile. She didn't ask him to sit again, but she moved towards the table, Smokey trotting after her to take his place once again at her feet and she picked up her pen. She didn't want him to think that she was pressuring him to stay and sit with her. She would like him to and hope that he would, but if he took his coffee and went back outside, she wouldn't be surprised.

Beth took her next label and began filling that out and she tried to keep herself from smiling when, from the corner of her eye, she saw Merle slowly approach the table and slowly sit down in the chair across from her.

Daryl had told her plenty of stories of how Merle used to be – before the war – and some were so outrageous and unbelievable and scandalous, she would laugh so hard, she would have tears in her eyes. It was hard to believe that the same man from those stories was now the man who sat across from her, but it was Merle. He was Daryl's brother and therefore, he was her brother, too, and Beth still didn't know much about him at all – and she was certain that he knew even less about her – but she loved him. He was family.

"Are you excited to be leaving for the fair today?" Beth asked, lifting her eyes to look at him across from her. "Is Moby excited?" She then asked with a smile and was quite pleased to see Merle's own lips twitch in their own smile.

Moby was their prize hog and he was coming to the fair with them; Daryl determined to win his own blue ribbon this week and Merle had been coddling Moby like any mother would to their baby, making sure he had a blanket at night and got the most apple cores at feeding time. To watch two grown men fawn over a hog, making sure he was fat, healthy and happy, it was endlessly amusing to Beth. She had been teasing Daryl for the past few weeks that it was pretty obvious that he loved Moby more than her and Shawn and she always laughed when Daryl didn't ever seem to deny that.

"At least one of us is excited," Beth then continued. "I'm feeling a bit nervous, to be honest. It's always nerve-wracking when someone outside of our family eats something I've made. Family has to tell you that they love it even if it's terrible. That's why family is wonderful. They love you no matter what. But they don't make the best judges, that's for sure." She continued talking as she filled out her next cards. "Which one do you like best?" She asked.

Merle didn't seem to hesitate as he pointed to the jars of her apple jam.

Beth smiled. "That's Daryl's favorite, too, and it always sells well at the church bazaar. How amazing would it be if both Moby and me won blue ribbons this week?" The thought out loud made her smile. She then looked to Merle and was looking at her, his eyes focused as he listened intently. Her smile softened. "I know most of the men don't go, but when the judges do their tastings and announce the winners… it would mean the world to me if you were there."

Again, Merle's head nod was nearly instantaneous and Beth's smile widened.

"How about I get started on those pancakes?" She then suggested as she stood up and went to the cabinets to begin gathering what she would need to mix the batter, humming an Andrew Sisters song softly to herself as she did.

A big breakfast was important on the morning they left for the state fair. It was a busy day and they needed their energy to last them until suppertime.

When she turned back towards the table, she saw that Merle was writing on one of the labels and out of curiosity, Beth couldn't help, but go and see what it was that he had written. When she saw, she let out a laugh. Beneath her information, he had written:

The best damn jam in the state.

Beth beamed as she picked the label up and looked at it. She then looked down to Merle.

"I don't know how appropriate that would be for the judges to see, but I'm going to keep this one in my pocket all week for good luck." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Merle."

Merle reached his hand out and covered hers, giving it a squeeze. She squeezed back.

…

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