"None of us expected this to happen. It wasn't supposed to, not to her," Rick said, looking around the semicircle of people who he considered his family. He shifted his weight and ran a hand over his face, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall and made his voice thick with grief. "Beth was the best of us. She was a survivor and she lived with level a hope and strength that we should all strive to achieve. We knew her as a friend," he looked at Carol, her eyes resting on the disturbed ground at her feet, "as a sister," he continued, looking at Maggie who sobbed soundlessly into Glenn's shoulder, his arm wrapped tightly around her with his own face set in stone, "as someone who could always see the light in the darkness," he finished glancing at Daryl. Daryl stood at the foot of the shallow grave looking at the makeshift wooden cross. His overgrown hair shaded his eyes and his shoulders were slightly hunched. He didn't cry, didn't look away, just stared, but Rick could feel his pain from where he stood.

Daryl had refused to let anyone else carry Beth's body, insisted on holding her until they found this place, a rundown house that was surrounded completely by a chain link fence. He had been silent the whole journey, the rough sobs he had uttered outside the hospital giving way to a silence only broken when he quietly demanded that they find a way to patch up Beth before burying her, demanding medical supplies they didn't have and time for a proper service. Luckily the house still had a first aid kit and they were able to clean the blood from Beth's face and neck, applying gauze and sutures to attempt to close the wound and make her presentable. Sasha had found clean clothes in one of the bedroom closets and he had released Beth for the few moments when she and Maggie had changed her out of the worn yellow polo shirt she had chosen at the country club into a soft baby blue t-shirt. Daryl had used the time to craft together a makeshift coffin out of plywood found in the home's adjoining shed, lining it with a soft blanket, before reclaiming Beth's body and carefully placing her inside. It wasn't perfect, wasn't what she deserved, but he damned well wasn't going to just toss her in the ground wrapped in nothing but a sheet. He had dug her grave himself, refusing to let anyone help. It didn't matter, they only found one shovel, but he wouldn't take any breaks until the hole was dug and they had carefully lowered the box inside before covering it again with the dirt.

Rick wished he could do something, anything to change what happened but he couldn't and now his brother was suffering. They all were. He wished he had the words that would heal them, let them move on, but for now he could only give what support and encouragement he could while he too mourned for this girl. "This…this shouldn't have happened but now…now we have to move on, continue to fight, to live. For Beth."

They all stood silent as Father Gabriel read a few lines of scripture from a worn bible, whispering a soft prayer for Beth and for her family left behind to deal with the pain of their loss. After it was over most left silently to return to the house, talking softly amongst themselves. Rick gave Judith a kiss before letting Michonne carry her back to the house and focused on Carl, who remained, staring at the grave with a stony expression. "You alright?" Rick asked, looking over at his son.

Carl nodded, looking up at his father, "Yeah, it just… sucks." Rick nodded his agreement and Carl focused on the grave again. "She was always there for me, after Mom." He smiled softly as he remembered, "She made me go outside, made me spend time playing games with Judith. She made me laugh and she…" He broke down a little then, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

Rick placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know. I'm glad we got to know her." Carl nodded and Rick stood silently next to him for a while before sighing, "You better go inside. Get settled for the night, help secure the house. I'll be in soon." Carl nodded, tipping his hat gently to the grave before turning to head inside.

Noticing that Carol still remained behind, Rick moved to her. She turned to him, reaching out to pull him into a hug, then leaned back with sad eyes and whispered, "She saved my life, Rick," as tears spilled over and ran in silvery trails down her cheeks. "In the hospital, she saved my life."

He nodded, "I know. She saved Judith's life… after Lori…" he paused for a moment as a fresh wave of grief washed over him.

Carol nodded and smiled sadly, "I know." She glanced at Daryl then looked back at Rick, "He never gave up on her, you know. This is going to be… hard… especially for him." Rick nodded, glancing at his brother. Carol embraced Rick again and whispered, "Try to talk him into coming inside?" He nodded and she left him. Rick heard harsh sobs and turned to see that Maggie had collapsed and sat weeping at the foot of the grave, Glenn's arms around her shoulders. Glenn looked up at Rick, an expression of absolute helplessness on his face.

Rick moved silently over to them, kneeling down next to Maggie. "I'm so sorry, Maggie," He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, the tears flowing freely and sobs making her shoulders shake. She shook her head and turned to bury her face in Glenn's shoulder. Glenn nodded to Rick, who stood slowly. "You need help getting her into the house?" He asked Glenn softly. Glenn shook his head, whispering something in Maggie's ear. She nodded and allowed him to help her stand. Glenn helped Maggie turn away from the grave and they walked towards the house, Maggie's footsteps unsteady and slow. Rick watched them for a moment, glad Maggie had Glenn to help her through her grief. When he had lost Lori the only things that had kept him breathing were Carl and Judith. They had kept him from going completely over the edge and putting a pistol to his head.

On that thought he looked over at Daryl and felt his heart breaking for his brother. Even with his family around him Daryl seemed completely alone. Beth had meant something to him, something more than a mere friend or sister. He felt her loss more keenly than anyone else did and that level of grief isolated him from the rest of the group. What he felt for the small, blonde girl was evident in his actions. He had never stopped fighting for her, even after being locked in a container at Terminus then finding the rest of their family minus Beth. He had pushed for the rescue mission at the hospital, wanting to storm in, guns blazing to rescue her and Carol. Even after she was killed, Daryl still fought, shooting Dawn in the head in one last act of ferocity. Now, with Beth gone and nothing and no one left to fight for, Daryl seemed lost.

Rick moved to stand next to him, staring at the shallow grave. "I'm sorry this happened. I wish we could have saved her," he said quietly. Daryl didn't move and he didn't reply. Rick turned slightly to look at him, "I know she meant something to you and it was something more than what she meant to the rest of us." Daryl didn't reply, a slight lowering of his head was the only sign that he was even aware of Rick's presence. "She wouldn't want you to shut down like this," Rick continued, placing a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "I know it's hard. God, we all know, we've all lost someone." Rick ran a hand through his hair and stared at his friend. Finally he leaned forward, trying to get Daryl to look at him. "We're not safe out here. Come inside…" Daryl shrugged away from him and moved away, moving to the head of the grave to sit down next to the wooden cross. He laid a hand gently on the top of the disturbed dirt, shoulders beginning to shake. Rick watched for moment before turning and heading for the house, suddenly feeling like an intruder on the private moment between Daryl and Beth.

Carol stood on the porch, nursing a can of green beans. She held it out to Rick as he approached, her eyes fixed on Daryl's hunched form. "You think he'll be able to get past this?"

Rick looked back for a moment before looking at Carol, accepting the can. He shook his head, "I hope so but…I don't know. I mean, we're all devastated. Maggie was her sister and God knows I couldn't begin to repay her for what she did for my kids…but that," he said, gesturing to Daryl, "that's something else, something… more."

"What do you think happened to them, after the prison? You think they…got close?" Carol asked quietly, studying Rick's face for a moment before looking out at Daryl again.

"You're guess is as good as mine," Rick replied. "I only know what he told us, they got out together, were with each other for a while. Didn't say much about where they went or what they saw or did. He's…changed, though. They went through…something and he came out on the other side changed. He's never…grieved like this before, not even after Merle. I don't think he's ever been close enough to someone to be like this before now."

Carol folded her arms, "You should have seen him when we saw that car go by, when he finally had a lead, something that could get her back. He was so focused, so determined. We went through hell to find her, only to…" She shook her head, "I think he loved her," she stated simply.

"We all loved her," Rick replied, not thinking, his focus on Daryl out in the open still seated next to the grave.

Carol laughed slightly, "No, I mean he loved her. He was…is in love with her."

Rick glanced at her sharply then looked back at his brother, who was standing now, one hand resting gently on the cross, "Yeah, I think you may be right." He felt fresh waves of pain for his brother as he watched Daryl turn and start walking slowly to the house, pausing a few times as if the effort it took to walk was too much to take on for a moment. "He'd never tell us, though. He might not even know himself." He looked at Carol, "But if that's the case and he did…does love her, it's not something you get over."

Carol nodded in agreement, watching Daryl approach, "I know. It's like Andrea said, you just make room for it, right? I still hurt from losing…well, you know." She smiled sadly at Rick before looking away, taking a deep breath.

Rick nodded sadly as he thought back over all their loss, the ache in his chest seeming to grow as he listed them in his head: Amy, Jim, Jacqui, Sofia, Dale, Shane, T-Dog, Lori, Oscar, Axel, Andrea, Hershel, Bob…now Beth. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and felt Carol's gentle hand on his shoulder. He smiled at her then looked up as Daryl finally approached. He didn't say anything, didn't look at either of them, but he paused as if he had something to say.

"You okay? Anything you need?" Carol asked him softly.

Daryl didn't look at her, just shrugged, "Nah, I'm not okay but…" he glanced at Rick for a moment before quickly looking away again, focusing on the worn wooden boards that made of the porch. After a moment, he glanced over his shoulder at the grave site before continuing, voice soft, "You're right. She wouldn't want me to be like this. I gotta be stronger…keep livin', for her." He moved past them quickly after that, going into the house.

Rick stared at the front door that had shut behind Daryl before glancing at Carol, honestly surprised that Daryl had even bothered to say anything to either of them let alone to be so honest. Carol's face registered some surprise too and she said quietly, "Yeah, he's definitely different. She was…" her voice broke a little at the past tense but she continued on, "she was good for him." She brushed tears away again, patted Rick's shoulder as she passed to go into the house, and left him to stand on the porch alone, staring at the darkening yard and the grave now deep in shadow beneath the willow tree.

"Good night, Beth and… thanks." He went inside and closed the door, locking it and helping Carl and Michonne barricade it for the night. Thanks to that tiny, smiling girl Daryl might just pull through. Daryl would try to heal, try to keep living rather than just surviving. He would do it for Beth.

Outside, in the growing dark, beneath the layers of loosened dirt, inside a rough wooden box, Beth Greene opened her eyes.