A/N: This story is sort of like a prequel to my Day 2 prompt – Counting Stars

Bethyl Week Day 6 – Memory

Daryl's hands shook as he buttoned his white dress shirt up and tucked it into his black dress pants. He looked across the room and met Rick's knowing smirk.

"Shut up," he told the sheriff, who raised his hands in surrender but laughed anyways.

"Consider a rite of passage for a man to get shaky and nervous right before his wedding. I was so nervous, I nearly dropped Lori's ring on our wedding day." Daryl nodded and glanced at himself in the mirror. He felt ridiculous in the formal clothes but he didn't look half bad in them. Rick handed him his suit jacket and he slid it on, his eyes wistfully going to his leather vest. Beth loved that vest, wore it almost as often as he did. He wondered if she'd be okay with him wearing it under his suit jacket for their wedding. He decided against it and nodded to Rick, leading the way out of the room to greet the Greene family and the few guests they had coming to their wedding.

Their guests were mostly friends as Daryl had no real family to invite with Merle being in prison again and his abusive old man being a definitive "hell no" when Beth had asked. He hugged Glenn and Maggie and shook Hershel's hand when he met up with them in the hall to the chapel of the church Hershel had wanted them to get married in. Maggie gushed about how gorgeous Beth looked in her dress and Daryl couldn't contain the smile that spread across his face as he tried to imagine his soon-to-be wife in her dress.

Lori approached the group with Carl and Judith, who had just started walking and tried running everywhere. Daryl swooped the toddler up into his arms before she tripped and fell and she giggled loudly. Lori pressed a kiss to Daryl's cheek as she congratulated him on his big day and "finally settling down." He gave Carl a fist bump when the teenager walked close enough before handing a squirming Judith off to her brother.

One-by-one he greeted and shook hands with his family of friends. It was a blur of happiness for the hunter who had never thought he would be in a church getting married before he had met the blonde Greene daughter at Hershel's vet clinic when his dog had gotten sick all those years ago.

"You ready, son?" Hershel asked Daryl, his hand landing on his shoulder and Daryl faced the older man. His nerves had been replaced with excitement, he was beyond ready to make Beth Greene, Beth Dixon. The hunter nodded and smiled.

"I'm ready." Hershel smiled and squeezed his shoulder, tears of happiness forming in his eyes as he walked off to see his daughter. Daryl turned and walked into the chapel with Rick behind him and they stood side by side at the altar. It felt like forever, the time they stood waiting before the music began playing and the chapel doors opened to reveal Maggie. The older Greene sister smiled happily at Daryl and he returned a small grin, his eyes meeting hers before going to the vision in white that stood beside Hershel in the door way.

Daryl could feel his jaw go slack as his eyes drank in his wife in her wedding dress as she slowly walked up the aisle with Hershel. The sweetheart neckline of her lace and bead covered dress hugged her curves before flaring out at her hips and trailing behind her. Her long blonde hair was curled down her back and the yellow roses in her bouquet made her into a stunning angel walking towards him.

Never had Daryl felt more unworthy of the woman walking towards him as he did at that moment. He didn't know what he had done to deserve her love but he had vowed every day since their first kiss that he would work hard to continue to earn it.

Hershel gave his daughter away to Daryl and the two stared at each other in silence, their eyes bright and full of love for each other. A throat clearing beside them pulled the couple from their thoughts and they both turned, embarrassed, to face the preacher.

Their vows were simple but heartfelt and Daryl could hear many sniffles and chuckles from their friends and family as they slipped the rings on each other's fingers.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. Daryl, you may kiss your bride."

Daryl grinned at Beth, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her to him as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her smile bright and infectious.

"I love you, Mrs. Dixon," he told her softly before claiming her lips with his. Cat calls and cheers echoed around them and Maggie and Rick pulled the strings on confetti poppers, showering the couple in strings of confetti as they kissed.

"This is the best damn day of my life, Beth." He told her honestly and he knew that he would cherish the memory of seeing her in her dress for the first time, of them saying their vows, and of their first kiss as husband and wife for the rest of his life.

He would eventually add even better memories to that list.

The memory of Beth announcing her pregnancy.

The birth of their first child, their son, and eventually the birth of their second child, their daughter.

A lifetime of memories with the woman he loved by his side and he couldn't think of a better way to live.