A/N: I own nothing TWD. If I did, I would have the cast sit with us during the mid-season finale, holding our hands, guiding us through all the emotions we will be going through, and then letting us cry onto their shoulders when it's all over.
One wouldn't think that they had all gathered together to remember a friend who had passed less than seven months ago. Yet there they were, friends and family all together, and Beth didn't feel anything but happiness.
She had fallen into an easy conversation with Susan, both women sharing stories about their youth. Granted, Susan had a good ten years on Beth, but even still they seemed to have gotten into similar mischief as children.
More often than not, Beth would turn and look at Daryl who was on the other side of the yard, close to the food naturally, chatting with Tyreese. She couldn't help but realize how much their actions emulated each other's, Beth looking at Daryl a second before he would turn to look at her, and likewise for him. It was almost as if both had thought to seek each other out at the same moment. Every time without fail, they'd both smile shyly before turning away. More than one time she had caught Susan and Sasha giving each other knowing looks whenever Beth returned to their conversation.
"Excuse me, hello." Meg stood among the crowd, raising her voice in attention. "This is the moment during brunch when I interrupt you and thank you for coming out here today" she continued, wide smile on her face. A few people laughed and raised their drinks at her.
"Today isn't a day to mourn for Carol" her voice cracked at her daughter's name, causing Susan to stand and join her mother, wrapping one arm around her and whispering something into her ear. Meg closed her eyes and shook her head at whatever Susan had said as both women held hands.
"Today is a day to celebrate each other as friends and family. To be around those we love and who love us back" Meg wrapped her arm around her daughter and placed a kiss on her cheek. Susan wiped some tears from her eyes and smiled as she looked at the people in front of her.
"Today is a day to be grateful that we are alive and present to receive this love" Meg's voice cracked again as she looked down for a second. She took a deep breath and raised her head, taking a moment to look at each person's face, as if she wanted everyone to understand what she was trying to articulate.
"Let us all live every day like today. For our Carol. For our Sophia."
The backyard erupted in cheers as mother and daughter embraced. Sasha and Beth had joined in on the cheers and hugged each other, smiling and crying at the sight of the other. After a few seconds Sasha went running to Bob, leaving Beth to turn to the man who continued to make the butterflies soar.
She met his eyes the moment he turned to meet hers. They held each other's gaze and it was Daryl who initiated a smile this time. He slowly brought his hand to his corner lip, placing it on the exact spot where Beth had kissed him hours before. Beth took a deep breath and smiled in return, unconsciously bringing her hand to her heart and curling her fingers over the spot, feeling the thumping growing stronger and faster. She wasn't sure what she was communicating to him at that moment, and she was willing to bet he didn't either. So they both just stayed in that pose; love, family, and friends surrounding their being.
"And now, we'd like you all to join us in honoring her" it was Susan's turn to speak. "Our friend Mr. Daryl Dixon was generous enough to bring some flowers for us to plant today. We'd love for you all to pick some floras and plant them in that little garden by the orchard. A special thanks to the lovely Axel who built it for us." Beth turned to the man in question, a tall lanky man with orange hair and a long mustache, goofy grin on his face as he waved embarrassingly at the crowd.
"So everyone, come on!" Susan gestured enthusiastically "Chop, chop, we've got some planting to do."
Beth smiled as she looked around the large backyard, people talking and laughing all around her. Not a somber look on anyone's faces, just smiles all around. A large patch of green and brown had been turned into a makeshift garden, the guests all taking turns in picking out flowers from the crates, before gently planting them in their new home. Beth had cheated a little, choosing a variety of zinnia flowers rather than a single color. Daryl had brought plenty, and she was pretty sure that he wouldn't mind if she helped herself.
She was currently on her knees, digging holes for her flowers, not minding at all about the stains that were forming on her capris. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her palm, happy to know her flowers would be receiving plenty of sunshine. From across the yard, she saw Daryl scan the garden before making eye contact with her. He smiled and started making his way towards her, awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets. Beth smiled in return and looked down at her dirty hands, hiding her face from him as she closed her eyes. She wanted to feel his presence before she saw him again, just like she had the day he had invited her to come.
"What have you got here?" Daryl asked sitting right next to her, crossing his leg as he gently leaned into her.
"Some beautiful zinnias" she held up a magenta one.
"This is a good one." He took the flower from her hands and stared at it. "This color zinnia symbolizes lasting affection." Beth followed his gaze to the flower, smiling sadly as she thought of her affection for Carol.
"And this one" he gestured towards one she had already planted. "This white zinnia symbolizes goodness." He pointed to one next to it "The yellow embodies daily remembrance." She looked at the colors surrounding them, realizing that Daryl must have chosen the variety specifically for Carol.
"When you present zinnias in a mixed selection like you got here," he gestured at Beth's selection "the flowers as a whole take on a new meaning."
She turned slowly to him as he did the same. Without warning he reached out and brushed her brow with his thumb, removing a smear of dirt from her forehead.
"And what's that?" She whispered, trying to keep her composure.
Daryl sighed and looked back at the flowers.
"In remembrance of a friend" he answered as if speaking to them.
Beth felt a lump form in her throat, but forced herself to remain at ease. Today was not a day for mourning after all.
"What about you? What did you plant?" She asked.
"A sweet pea shrub" he pointed towards the small wooden gate that surrounded the garden entrance.
"Sweet pea," she repeated as she looked at the violet buds "do they hold a special meaning?"
"Yeah. Sweet peas are a way of thanking people for a lovely time upon their departure." He looked at Beth "A form of goodbye"
She felt the tears tickle down her face, having lost all ability to control their flow. She was about to wipe them away when she heard Daryl's whisper.
"Don't" he gently stopped her hand and put it down. "No need to dirty your pretty face" he wiped the tears from both cheeks as he smiled at her. She chuckled slowly as she looked down. He handed back the magenta flowers and watched her plant them.
It was close to 10pm, and only a few people remained. Besides Sasha, Tyreese, and Bob, a few others stayed around to help the McBride women clean up and further reminisce. Axel, the old family friend who had built the garden (Beth made a mental note to ask Daryl about him), Eugene (Susan's quiet and odd husband), and Haley and Noah, two former students of Carols.
Though there were less people around, it could be assumed that the party had remained at full force based on all the laughter and noise coming from them. Their ruckus could also be explained by the alcohol Bob and Daryl had picked up hours earlier.
Haley had just finished telling a story about Carol from when she was a student in her classroom, leaving all the guests laughing and groaning, Susan more so as she held onto her husband. "Yeah, I'm surprised Carol didn't get into trouble, some of the things that woman did in front of her students shocked me!"
Noah turned to look at Haley "Remember when Professor Peletier showed us those penis graphs?" Haley almost spit out her beer as the entire living room erupted in laughter.
Meg dramatically put her hand on her chest "What on God's earth are you talking about?"
Haley started shaking her arms and head as if trying to clarify. "They weren't penis graphs." She hiccupped when she was able to compose herself.
"It was a dot chart that was supposed to show correlation versus causation in one of our research classes." Noah added.
Daryl started laughing "I saw that graph! Carol showed it to me." He turned to Meg "They looked like dicks to me."
Beth swatted his chest at his comment seconds before the memories came to her as well
"Oh! I remember that story!" Beth suddenly exclaimed, a little louder than she'd intended "She told me about it during one of our breaks. She was so angry that they all laughed." She turned to Daryl "She was angry that you laughed too! Called you an ass"
The entire group continued laughing, especially after Noah had found the charts on his phone and passed the photos around.
Beth was feeling really relaxed, not quite drunk, but a little passed tipsy. She and Daryl were sitting on a large loveseat, plenty of room where it wasn't necessary for Beth to rest her entire body against his side, but she was too comfortable leaning on him, and Daryl didn't appear to mind. Sometime during the conversation he had draped his arm around her, his hand chastely placed on her left shoulder.
"I loved hearing her stories." Beth continued as she smiled at Meg.
"My favorite was the one she told me of the student falling asleep in her class."
"I don't think I ever heard that one" Susan responded leaning forward in her seat.
"Me neither" Sasha added.
Beth turned to look at Daryl and he shrugged and shook his head.
"Well, I guess one of her students fell dead asleep during one of her lectures" Beth began, happy to have a story to contribute "rather than wake him up right away, she made her whole class get out of their seats and stand up there with her, in front of him. She then had the whole class erupt in applause and cheers just to wake him." Beth started giggling as she remembered the way Carol had told it to her. "That poor kid. Woke up to an entire class going crazy on him."
The room broke out into laughter again at Beth's story, with only one exception. Noah had seemed to sink further onto the ground before Bob noticed him and drew everyone's attention to him.
"Noah, was that you?" He shouted. The room got quiet as all eyes went to him.
Noah looked around the room, his dark skin seeming to turn darker by the second. "Ah, shit. I was tired, man!" If possible, the room broke out into louder hysterics, everyone laughing harder than their breathing could keep up. Daryl's arm slid off of Beth's shoulder so that he could clap his hands and lean forward in laughter. Beth had her face buried in her hands, almost as if trying to keep the laughter from escaping any further. Even Noah had rolled to his side, clearly just as amused at hearing his own story as everyone else had been.
"Oh my, I think that's the sign that it's time to go." Sasha said as she stood up, wiping the tears from her face. "There's no way anything is going to top that tonight."
"Yeah, I should head out too, find a hole to bury myself into" Noah chuckled as he jumped to a standing position.
The rest of the party slowly got up and started to head out as well, hugs and goodbyes being exchanged amongst everyone. Finally a few remained, as Beth and Daryl began the transition out.
Tyreese and Daryl, who had really hit it off, chatted by the door as Beth went into the kitchen to help Susan and Meg finish loading the final round of dishes into the washer before they left.
"I need you to promise right now that I'll be seeing more of you in the future" Meg told her as she handed back the clean cake tray Beth had brought earlier.
"With our without Daryl" Meg finished with a kind wink.
"I would love that." Beth said as she hugged Meg, giving her the tightest hug she could muster.
"Preferably with Daryl" Susan added, earning her a quick swat from her mother. Susan laughed and gave Beth an equally affectionate hug. "It was fantastic meeting you" Susan whispered as she released her.
"It was my honor to meet you both" she held Susan's hands as she turned and looked at Meg.
Daryl walked in moments later and went straight to Meg, pulling her into a bear hug
"My Megan. You take care of yourself you hear?" He made sure to look her straight in the eyes as the last word. Meg shook her head and placed both hands on his face, pulling it down softly so that she could kiss his forehead. She angled her head slightly and whispered something that caused his ears to turn red. He nodded and chuckled softly as he released her and turned to Susan.
"Bye sweetheart. Never quit giving that man of yours shit" he laughed as he hugged her.
"You know me too well" she smiled as she squeezed him back. She leaned further and whispered something to him as well. Daryl shook his head as he pulled away, looking at her with mock exasperation.
"Damn McBride women" he huffed as he walked towards Beth.
The drive back was quiet and somber, a contrast so strong from the previous hour that the silence nearly made Beth's ears hurt.
She turned to look at Daryl's profile, his features prominent in the closeness of the truck. Still blaming the alcohol running through her body, Beth reached out and touched his cheek, the exact location she had kissed him and where he had placed his own hand hours before. She felt him smile under her fingers.
"Trying to take advantage of me, Greene?"
She giggled as she brought her hand down. "You wish" she smiled as she focused forward, staring at the dark road ahead of her.
A few minutes later, Beth was missing his voice.
Want him to talk to you? Talk!
"So," she started, searching for conversation. "Whose idea was it for the garden?"
He turned and smiled "Why, did you like it?"
She nodded "Yes, it was lovely."
He turned his focus back on the road, turning on the blinkers as he came to a stop. "Actually, it was Meg's idea. She wanted to do something special in remembrance." He gently turned the wheel.
"She said you got it from your greenhouse?"
Daryl smiled as he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "Well, not really mine." He turned to look at Beth again "The greenhouse technically belongs to the university. It's the one by the science department."
"Oh yeah." Beth remembered when it was built, about five years ago, and how much time and money had gone to it. The press was all over the construction of the greenhouse; apparently it was a big deal, nothing like it for hundreds of miles. It was supposed to be beautiful, housing a huge variety of plants and vegetation. Beth had never gone to see it, much to the dismay of her family.
"I oversee much of the production in there. Making sure things run smoothly, the temperature doesn't get too hot or cold. Making sure the sprinklers don't fail, that nothing but the best is grown."
"That sounds amazing."
He looked at her again and just smiled, raising his head a little with pride. She looked out the window again, surprised that they were already at her street. She felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of going inside her apartment alone.
It's okay Beth, not like its anything new.
He slowed down in front of her apartment "Well, let's find a place to park so I can walk you up-"
"No!" she exclaimed earning herself a confused look from him.
"I mean, you don't have to. It's already late" she was practically fumbling as she reached for the lock. The thought of having an awkward farewell at her doorstep seemed a little more than she was ready for at the moment. She didn't want to have to say goodbye in such an intimate way, close her apartment door on him, hearing him walk away… nope, she wasn't having that right this moment. Better to end it sweetly right here.
"Anyway" Beth attempted again "I don't want you to have to go through the trouble of parking when you can just leave me here right in front of the door." She smiled sweetly at him, hoping she hadn't offended him with her insecurities.
"Alright" he said as he parked his truck outside the apartment doors, still looking a bit confused.
She got out of and walked around to the driver's side, Daryl having rolled down the windows by the time she reached him. She put both hands on the window frame as she looked into his blue eyes.
"Thank you so much for bringing me today. It was truly special, and something I won't soon forget."
He shrugged as he looked at her "Nah, thank you for coming. I don't think I would have been able to handle all that on my own." It was her turn to be puzzled as he looked past her to the door.
"You best get in there now. Like you said, it's already late." He smiled as she rolled her eyes. She held on to the window pane a bit longer before pushing herself off, waving at him when she got to the door. She took the stairs two at a time to the second floor, and let herself in to her little space. She turned on the radio in her room as she got ready to go to turn in.
As she finished her nightly routine and crawled onto bed, a wave of emotions engulfed her, leaving her momentarily frozen. A pull between sadness and joy tugged at her, neither emotion staying long enough for her to drown in. Before she realized what was happening she was crying. Not out of sadness, but out of necessity. Slowly, her tears changed into something new. They weren't tears of loss, but of hope and possibilities.
She cried for a few minutes longer before she clicked off the lights, not bothering to turn off the radio. She hummed along to the chorus and then slowly began to sing before sleep claimed her.
There will come a time, you'll see
With no more tears and love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see, what you find there,
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.
A/N: Special thanks to my Spirit Animal, who convinced me to keep this chapter fluffy, because in her words "We need fluff. Like we need air and baked goods."
By the way: I'm no botanist, so everything I learned about flower meanings comes from internet searches. And I apologize if the timeline is a bit odd. I'm still new to writing, having taken a 20 year break, so my transitions are still a work in progress.
P.s. I'm having a really hard time showing you all how much you mean to me, and how much I value every review/PM/fav/follow. It's never going to get old, how much I love you all for it. Never. Ever.
I'll see you all on the other side of this MSF.
Song Credit: "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons