Beth glanced up into the rearview mirror, her eyes met with the bright blue hues of her six year old daughter, Emma. The little girl smiled at her mother, one of her top front teeth missing. Beth's gaze fell on her ten year old son, Wyatt, sitting next to his sister playing his Nintendo DS. He was the spitting image of his father, deep blue eyes and dark hair—the boy rarely smiled anymore.

"Y'all ready to go see Dad?" Beth forced a smile as she did every other weekend when the exchange took place. This had been going on for almost six months now, and it never got any easier.

"Yep," piped up Emma, "I didn't forget Bean Bunny this time either!" The bunny in question was mashed to the girl's chest, looking a little worse for the wear. Beth nodded, smiling to herself. Emma had forgotten the bunny the last weekend, making Daryl drive the hour down to get it from Beth. His little girl threw a fit like the world was going to end until Daddy promised he would go see Mommy to get Bean.

Wyatt snorted, sliding a glance at his sister. "Well if you wouldn't be in such a hurry to get to the ranch, you wouldna forgotten him."

"Jackson Wyatt Dixon! You don't need to be rude to your sister! Apologize to Emma right now!" Beth scolded her oldest, using his full name. She saw Wyatt's face turn red, as a muttered apology was forced out of his mouth.

"Well I guess we're ready to go then. Let's get going. Your Dad's bad about waiting." Beth pulled out of the driveway, heading towards the interstate to cross into Wyoming. Beth had taken a teaching job down in Fort Collins, CO since the divorce was put into motion. She didn't fight Daryl for the ranch near Jelm, WY, as the outfitter business he owned was his livelihood. The skies looked dreary the farther north she drove, by the time she reached the parking lot of the Corral West in Cheyenne they always met in, it had begun to snow pretty hard. Cheyenne wasn't half way, but Daryl made it easier on Beth so she wouldn't have to take the state roads in the winter. Daryl drove the longer part from Jelm to Cheyenne. Beth had it easy, it was all interstate from Fort Collins up to Cheyenne.

"There's Daddy's pickup!" Emma squealed from the back seat, excited to see Daryl's truck. She was a Daddy's girl from the day she was born, had Daryl wrapped around her finger. Wyatt looked up from his game, grinning at the sight of his father stepping out of the four wheel drive.

Beth parked beside the Ford Super Duty, shivering as the cold air hit her face as she stepped out of the car. Neither of her children waited long before jumping out of the car, Daryl's eyes met with Beth's, the sadness on both sides painfully apparent. She hated giving the kids up every other weekend, rarely did Daryl ever have to reschedule, unless a big contract came through last minute for him to take out hunting.

Emma attacked her father, wrapping her small arms around his waist, hugging him tight. Daryl ran his hand over the top of her head, as he pulled Wyatt into his side. "How're you guys doing? Being good for your Mama?" Beth's heart ached at hearing Daryl call her Mama, it made things between them so much harder.

"Yeah Daddy we've been good!" Emma always aimed to please her father, Wyatt on the other hand was quite a bit different. Emma was a carbon copy of Beth, Wyatt was every bit Daryl.

Daryl grinned as he opened up the truck, watching his kids climb in and buckle into their respective booster seats. Wyatt was almost tall enough by Wyoming law that he wouldn't be needing the booster seat next year. Emma still had a ways to go, in height and weight before she wouldn't need a booster seat anymore.

Daryl walked around to the trunk of Beth's Jetta, taking Emma's bag out of her hands. His hands brushed hers, it felt like lightning struck him as he pulled away on instinct. His voice softened as Beth looked up at him, eyes watery.

"I got it. You doing ok? Be careful going back, weather's turning shit." Daryl reached into the trunk, grabbing Wyatt's bag. He knew this same routine every other weekend always hit Beth hard.

"Yeah I'll be okay. Wyatt has homework he needs to do before chores. He has a book to read over the weekend and write a report on. Emma's other front tooth is really loose, and as much as she's been wiggling it, it will probably come out this weekend." Beth blinked away the tears, she had to remind herself that the end of their marriage was mostly mutual.

"Alright. I'll make sure they get things done. Buster's been looking forward to Emma riding him. I picked up a new bow for Wyatt, he's needing a new recurve. I'll call you if I'm going to be late, or if I decide to just bring them down. Heard it's supposed to be a pretty bad one this weekend." Daryl closed the trunk before opening the truck door to toss in Wyatt's bag.

"Well just let me know so I know what to expect." Beth did her best not to start crying in earnest when the kids looked at her from inside Daryl's truck. They were always so excited to go up to Dad's ranch, more excited than going to Grandpa's farm in Georgia every summer.

"Y'all give Mama hugs and kisses, we gotta get going." Daryl commanded his offspring as Beth climbed onto the rocker bar to reach into the backseat. Wyatt was the first to hug her, kissing his mother's cheek lightly. Beth knew her little boy was growing up, and kissing his mom goodbye wasn't something cowboys did anymore.

Emma wrapped her arms around Beth's neck, pulling her down into a hard hug with a kiss. Beth could feel the tears on her neck, Emma hated leaving her mother. As much as she was a Daddy's girl, Emma was Mama's baby too.

"Y'all be good for Dad. I'll see you Sunday night ok?" Beth wiped the tears from Emma's eyes, offering her baby a bright smile.

Both kids replied with the usual 'yes mama' as Daryl fired up the diesel. Beth stepped down off the rocker bar, closing the back door tightly. Daryl rolled down his window, nodding to Beth as she looked over at him.

"They'll be ok. You be careful. Text me so I know you made it ok." Daryl's eyes met Beth's, she could see the concern. He still cared, that was apparent.

"I will. Be careful over the pass." Daryl tipped his chin, acknowledging his ex-wife's concern. Beth turned to walk away, hurrying for the warmth of the running car. She sat in the driver's seat, watching the gunmetal silver Ford pull out onto Dell Range Blvd before turning west towards I-80. Beth smiled to herself; knowing the kids would hound Daryl into stopping at Sonic in Laramie for an early dinner, and he wouldn't say no, just to avoid cooking for the night. Once the truck was out of sight, Beth buckled her seatbelt and headed west on Dell Range, turning south onto I-25 to head back to Colorado and the quiet of her little suburban home.

Her thoughts circled back into memories, when Daryl had brought her out here almost eleven years ago to visit some friends who lived near Jelm, WY. That trip had been a good time, they'd drove, loved and laughed the 3,000 mile round trip. By the time they had reached the outskirts of Sheep Mountain, Daryl had asked Beth to marry him. They had been together almost three years at that point, and eighteen year old Beth saw nothing wrong with marrying twenty year old Daryl Dixon. It broke her parents' hearts to marry their youngest off so soon, but when she started showing with Wyatt, her Daddy thought it best that they marry. Daryl whisked Beth off to Wyoming, so he could start up a business with his buddy as outfitters.

Four years of struggling to raise a family, and go to college full time found Beth with a bachelor's degree in education, and Emma on the way. By that time Daryl had taken the business over fully, as their friends moved back east and sold them the entire spread in Jelm. Twenty two year old Beth was working full time teaching at the tiny elementary school in Jelm, while Daryl ranched and ran the business. They made things work through the struggling years, and if anyone asked Beth she would say those were some of the best times of her marriage.

At twenty seven, and Daryl thirty, things started falling apart. There were accusations of infidelity, arguments over finances and spans of time spent away from home and the family. Daryl shut up and shut down, doing what he had to- to keep the kids from knowing that Mama and Daddy were unraveling at the seams. He slept in a separate bedroom in the ranch house, Beth still played the dutiful wife, but when the kids were asleep, the gloves came off. One warm September day found them in the courthouse in Laramie for the final divorce hearing- Daryl would keep the ranch, Beth would keep her Jetta, and Daryl would pay her child support and alimony. Not that Beth wanted his money, but the courts dictated it. Joint shared custody with every other weekend and every other holiday. Summers the kids would choose who they wanted to spend it with, usually Daryl would send the kids down to Beth's folks in Georgia. He would fly with them down to Atlanta and drive them down before flying back himself.

Beth could never let Daryl know she still loved him, little ears heard too much, and they had been through too much to bring all that stress back again. For fifteen minutes, every other weekend they were a family again…