Chapter 4 Forgotten

The week leading up to Maggie and Glenn's wedding was when guests started arriving. Beth returned back to the farm in order to help prepare. Maggie had asked Beth to be her maid of honor, something Beth gladly accepted. Glenn ended up asking an old friend of his to be his best man.

"There are so many people on the list," Beth commented, noting which people were attending that they met during the apocalypse. "There's many that I have never met."

She ran her fingers over the names she did know. "Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol, Sophia, Dale, Daryl, Tyrese, Sasha, Michonne, Andrea…"

"I bet you're real excited to see them," Maggie commented, smiling. She held out a bridesmaid dress for Beth see. "Who are you looking forward to seeing the most?"

"Daryl and I shared a few drinks, before I was captured," Beth replied honestly. "I met up with Michonne not too long ago either. It's amazing how everyone's been tracked down."

"Oh boy, Daryl's survived longer than anyone else I know," Maggie said. "He's seen and suffered so much."

Beth was suddenly worried she might have been forgotten. Not just by Daryl, but by everyone else. Their lives had gone on after her. It was the same feeling she had with Jimmy or with her other friends from school. Beth had lived her life without them for some time. Her bond with them wasn't as strong anymore.

"I miss them," Beth whispered when Maggie went to go try on her wedding dress. In some weird way, she missed the moments from the prison.

When she had first met up with Glenn at the farm, Beth had given him the biggest hug. With each guest that arrived at the farm that week, she gave them the same hug. When Rick showed up with Lori and Carl, there was obvious tension there, but Beth gave Lori and Rick a hug anyways. Rick let out a small cry when he saw her, something that made Beth feel giddy about.

Carl was also enthused to see her.

"You're so much younger than I remember," Beth commented, giving Carl's hair a ruffle after hugging him.

"It's annoying," Carl admitted. "I have to go through puberty again."

Beth laughed out loud. "Maybe this time you can get it right."

"Just… help me out a little this week, okay Beth? My parents are totally not getting along right now. There's gonna be tons of drama. I need to drink."

Beth frowned. "You get root beer and nothing else."

With all the guests staying in the guest bedrooms, that meant Hershel had to build a guesthouse outside on the farm property a few weeks prior. Everyone Beth knew was staying there. Beth helped Andrea check in with Michonne, who had brought her son Andre.

"Why, look at this little cutie!" Beth gushed.

"Daryl's already dubbed her "asskicker number 3"," Michonne remarked, rolling her eyes. "That guy just can't get enough of babies."

"Daryl's here?"

Beth glanced around the farm property. Sure enough, over by the front porch talking to Rick and Hershel was the same rugged-looking friend she remembered. He wore a rundown leather jacket and jeans, and was generally cleaner/more refreshed than during the apocalypse. Daryl's hair was still shaggy but washed, and he still carried a gun holster on his belt. Looking around, Beth suddenly noticed a lot of people were packing weapons on their belts.

"I'm going to go say hi. Bye, little guy," Beth cooed at Michonne's son.

"Don't let Rick know I'm here yet," Michonne told her, before retreating to their rooms.

When she got to the front porch, Beth gave Daryl a surprise hug from the side. "We're all here," Beth commented, feeling a sense of relief that she hadn't felt in months. Years even.

"Err, hi," Daryl greeted her with less enthusiasm than Beth had been expecting. He had been catching up with Rick and was caught off guard.

"Oh Beth! Honey, I think your mum needs you in the kitchen. There will be time for us all to catch up with one another," Hershel said gently.

Beth just nodded, smiled at Rick and Daryl, and then joined her mother. As it turned out, there wouldn't be time later. The rest of the week ended up proving to be a big hassle, what with housing like fifty people and hosting a big wedding. There were many supplies and things that needed to be done. The guests helped out, but also spent most of the next three days catching up with each other. Beth worked hard, knowing that Maggie and Glenn deserved it. She would not complain.

Out of everyone she talked, however, it did seem like Daryl was avoiding her. Beth chose not to think about it until after the wedding reception. She wouldn't let her feelings ruin one of the greatest nights they've had in a long time.

Break

For Daryl, the fight never ended when the world snapped back to normal. It felt the same. He felt robbed, cheated, of the rewards that supposedly came with being "the last man standing", for Daryl truly felt he was one of the last few people alive before the world snapped back into place. All that pain and suffering he had gone through was for nothing. All those people he tried to save were for nothing. Daryl could have ended it back on Day 1, and things wouldn't have been different.

When Daryl got the official call from Glenn about attending the wedding, he felt an array of emotions. Guilt, anger, happiness… all blended together. He wasn't sure if he could face Glenn in person, feeling guilty and dirty about everything. But Glenn assured him that Daryl was part of his family and that he wanted him there more than anything. And he had promised Carol.

He was more than happy to catch up with Rick, breathing huge sighs of relief. This whole wedding was unusual, but speaking to Rick made him feel like everything was back to normal. Rick had a comforting presence, although he was clearly going through issues of his own. "It's weird being back on the farm without having to look over our shoulders for walkers," Rick said lightly.

"I'm glad you're here, man." Daryl gave him an appreciative look. "When this is all over, I owe ya a lot."

"I'll have your back no matter what, Daryl. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call," Rick replied firmly. "Especially with your rep."

"You heard about that?"

"I'm a cop still. I've definitely heard a few things." The two clinked beer bottles and gave silent cheers.

All of a sudden, a blonde blur surrounded him. His defenses had been down, but he swallowed his instinct to defend himself. Daryl wasn't expecting to see a blonde haired girl greet him out of the blue.

"Er, hi."

Daryl had forgotten Beth. He hadn't realized it, but he must have stopped thinking about her a long time ago. For many months, he grieved her death, felt depressed, sad, and guilty. He remembered clinging onto her lifeless body just seconds after she'd been shot. But now, to see her alive and well, standing in front of him, it took his breath away for a second.

"We'll catch up later, okay Daryl?" Beth then followed her dad towards to kitchen.

"You alright, Daryl?" Rick asked a few minutes later. It was just the two of them now on the porch.

"Yeah," Daryl grumbled.

"Hershel asked if we can help unload a few things from the truck for the wedding. I'd rather be put to work than deal with stuff right now," Rick said absentmindedly, running a hand through his hair. He was clearly worried about his relationships with Lori and Michonee.

"Oh, right. Let's go do that." Daryl shook thoughts of Beth out of his mind.

Damn, there was a lot of booze at this wedding, Daryl can tell you that much. He was particularly grateful for that. His mind had wandered over to all the other guests who had come to say hello to Daryl. They tried doing small talk with him, but could see he was in one of his moods. That is, until Carol came by with Sophia.

"Remember Daryl, sweetie?" Carol asked the young girl, who nodded shyly. "He spent many days looking for you, like we all did. Daryl is one of the most caring people, most trustworthy people I've ever met." She gave him a smile, and Daryl couldn't help but smile a little bit with a nod.

"Why don't you go say hello to Carl and the other kids, sweetie? Daryl and I need to catch up."

Daryl grinned at her.. "I see you've got your life together. Well done," he complimented her, noting Ed's absence.

"The moment I woke up, that was the happiest day of my life," Carol said. "I didn't even care that Ed was there. Sophia is my whole life again."

"I can see that. I'm real happy for yah."

Carol gave him a big hug around the shoulders. "Oh Daryl, none of us could have made it without you, you realize that right? You were the light, the flame that we could follow. Despite...everything, with the walkers and such, we emerged from this stronger than ever. All these people here that met each other through the thick of it all… Maggie and Glenn included. They never would have met."

Daryl had nothing to say. He acknowledged that these people here were more like family to him than he ever had before. But after this wedding was over, it wasn't like they'd all see each other again. Everyone was going to move on with their lives, lives that weren't entangled before it all started.

"Are you happy to see Beth?" Carol asked, noticing the blonde girl come out of the house with a basket full of fairy lights. "She's still the sunshine that she always was."

"I doubt she missed me that much," Daryl grunted, before turning away guiltily. He felt ashamed that he didn't realize Beth would be here, at her sister Maggie's wedding.

"I think she really did," Carol insisted. "I remember when she died, it tore you apart."

Daryl couldn't keep it together. "I forgot Beth."

"Oh…"