I really hope this makes sense because my brain is FRIED. I can't believe I wrote a fic that lasted this long. Thank you all so much for reading and commenting and sharing and sticking with it even when it was a hot mess.

A couple of notes:
I wanted to do more with Rick and Michonne but couldn't make it work without taking too much away from Beth and Daryl. Same with Jesus. I wanted to write more about him being gay and how living like he was straight having a factor on his alcoholism. But again, I didn't want to veer too far away from Beth and Daryl.

Thanks again so much for reading!

"You ready for this?" Daryl asked Beth, moving a toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. They sat in the truck in the driveway of the Greene family home. It was just as she remembered it. Well worn and loved.

Memories flooded her.

She fell from the tree in the front yard and broke her arm. She and Shawn had been warned not to climb so high but they hadn't listened. They thought they would be in trouble so they tried to hide it. Thinking back on it she saw how ridiculous that had been but to a ten and twelve year olds it seemed like they had a chance of pulling it off. The memory brought a smile to her face. They hadn't gotten in trouble of course but abided by the rule from there on out and didn't climb so high once Beth's cast came off.

She'd spent hours in the barn helping with the animals, the horses being her favorite. Hours spent bailing hay under the hot sun. Swimming in the creek out back. She and Shawn rode their bikes up and down the dirt lane what amounted to probably a million miles. Then when she got older, she snuck out of her bedroom, shimmying down the lattice to meet up with friends to drink and smoke pot. To hook up with anyone that showed her the littlest bit of attention only to vaguely remember the next morning what happened.

She honestly couldn't think of one bad memory up till she became an anxious and depressed teen and those bad memories were because of herself, nothing her parents had done.

"Yes and no," she answered honestly. It'd been two weeks since Glenn told her who he really was and about a week since she regained her memory.

She'd gone over all the scenarios in her mind ad nauseam. Keeping it a secret was out of the question. It wasn't fair to them or to Glenn. She could have also asked Glenn to tell the family that she is alive but doesn't want contact. That was just as unfair.

She wanted so badly to see them. To hug her mother. To meet her niece and nephews. To tell her father how much she'd missed him and his wise talks. She wanted desperately to apologize to every single one of them for the pain she caused.

What if they were angry at her, which they had every right to be. How does a family get past this? She had no answers, only questions. Only 'what-if's'. The not knowing might drive her as crazy as knowing even if she risked it ending badly.

There were four other cars in the drive. They'd generously offered, through Glenn who had become the go-between between her and the family, to only meet with Annette and Hershel first so as not to overwhelm her but she graciously refused.

Daryl reached over the bench seat and took her hand. "It's gonna be fine. They're going to be so happy to have you back, all the past hurts ain't gonna' matter."

"I don't know about that. I hurt them so badly." And her greatest fear, "What if they've forgotten about me and this is going to reopen that wound."

"They didn't forget about you. But no matter what happens, we'll figure it out," he assured, hoping to make her feel better.

His words did help. After all she'd been through she was stronger for it. She'd figure this part out too. She had to.

Strangely enough, the part that hurt the most was Annette's hesitation when she went to hug Beth upon entering the home. She raised her arms and Beth held her breath, waiting to feel the comforting weight of them around her shoulders but Annette let her arms fall.

Smiling, tears swimming in her eyes, she whispered "Bethany, its… I'm…" Her words faltered.

Annette appeared to be as unsure as Beth. Maybe she had her own mental list of 'what if's'. What if Beth didn't want to be hugged? What if she didn't want to be a part of their life. What if she hates them?

Beth made the first step, bridging the gap between them, Beth wrapped her arms around her mother. Annette quickly returned the embrace whispering, "Oh, Bethany. Are you really here? I must be dreaming!"

"I'm sorry, Mama," her voice was muffled in Annette's shoulder. "For everything."

Annette pulled back and sandwiched Beth's face between her palms. "Hush now. Not another word of that. We all made mistakes. All that matters now that you're here. You hear me?"

She wasn't sure how Annette so easily forgave her. She made it seem so simple. Everyone messes up. Everyone makes mistakes. No apologies necessary.

The family was patient during Annette and Beth's exchange. After they finally parted, it was a bombardment of hugs and kisses and words jumbled and full of meaning.

Hershel held Beth so tight she couldn't breathe but she didn't care. She'd hold him as long as he held her. "My baby girl. We… I missed you so much."

Beth had never seen her father cry. He was as strong as a tall oak with roots buried miles deep. Now tears fell unabashedly down his face. They were not tears of anger. Or even regret. He was genuinely happy to have her there.

And when she hugged her brother she didn't remember him being quite so tall. When she left he was twenty-one and wild as a rank horse. She never thought he'd settle down. Meeting both his fiancé and his newborn, seeing the man he'd become was surreal.

Maggie, who Beth remembered to be stoic almost to the point of being cold, sobbed against her shoulder. Apologizing for every bad thing she'd ever done to Beth dating back to when they were little kids. Her face with red and tear-stained, still as beautiful as Beth ever remembered.

"Maggie, I didn't run off because you pulled my hair when I was five."

The statement struck a funny chord with the sisters and they began laughing. Laughing until they were crying all over again in the way only sisters could laugh and cry at the same time.

"Mama's bein' silly," little Hershel said, standing at his dad's knee off to the side. Anna snug in her dad's arms was oblivious to what was happening she continued to play with a baby doll.

Maggie cleared her throat and wiped her face with the tissue she'd been clenching. She motioned to Hershel to join her. "You're right. I am being silly. Come here buddy, bring your sister." Glenn put Anna on the floor and, taking his sister by the hand, she and little Hershel toddled to Maggie.

"Hershel, this is your aunt Beth."

Beth knelt down to his level. If there was any reminder of just how long she'd been gone this was it. Maggie had created a whole life with a husband and two little human beings during that time.

"Nice to meet you, Hershel," Beth said, voice croaky and small with emotion.

To her surprise the little boy wrapped his arms around her shoulders, freely giving her a hug. Her throat burned, she held back the tears for fear of frightening him with more of her "silly" behavior.

"Wanna play car's with me?" he asked so simply, so sweetly that everyone laughed. Kids tended to take things at face value. She was his elusive aunt. She wasn't there before but she's here now. For him, that's all there was to it.

"She'll play car's with you some other time Hershel," Maggie told him and he shrugged and smiled.

"Promise?" He asked.

"Promise."

"And this," Maggie said as Beth stood again, "is my girl." Anna, shyer than her brother, leaned her head on Maggie's shoulder looking so intently at Beth she thought maybe Anna recognized her. "Anna Beth."

"Anna Beth?" Beth questioned, surprised. They'd named their daughter after her. She'd been gone, life had indeed gone on but she was most certainly not forgotten.

Daryl slipped out into the back porch for a smoke. After the initial greeting, things had settled and now the kids were playing, the baby was napping after having been practically pried from Beth's arms to lay him down in his bassinet, and the adults were looking through old photos albums. Pictures scattered all around the dining room table where they gathered. Passing photos back and forth. Laughing. Crying. Sharing memories.

It had gone even better than he'd hoped. It was incredibly moving to see them come back together after years of separation. Not just a separation, they thought Beth was dead. It's a second chance not many people get.

He'd never take that from them and he'd never make her choose between him and her family, yet he couldn't help but wonder what this meant for them. She belonged here. They had a lot of healing to do. Being the outsider in this situation, he wasn't sure where he fit, if he did at all.

He slid into a rocking chair, admiring the view. Acres of fields glowing in the sunlight lay out before him. The old barn, a tractor and other equipment parked here and there, three horses were out in the pasture. He lit a cigarette, blowing out the first drag when the screen door creaked and Hershel appeared.

"Mind if I join ya'?" He asked.

"Well, sir, it is your porch," Daryl chuckled and motioned to the chair next to him.

"That, it is. But you brought our girl back to us. So I think that gives you free rein of the porch at least." The man with his kind eyes and white hair smiled.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment or two before Hershel finally spoke up.

"I'm not sure the details exactly, Glenn was careful not to say too much, but it sounds like Beth has been through a harrowing few years."

"She has," Daryl agreed. It wasn't his place to tell the details though, so he kept his response to those two words.

"I was just wondering how you tie into all of this. I know you're the sheriff." Glenn had told him that much. Beth had hesitantly introduced him as Sheriff Daryl Dixon, shyly, her cheeks reddening. His daughter had changed since she'd been gone, that's to be expected, but he still knew his daughter. There was something between her and the sheriff. "You're the man that brought her home. Well, you and Glenn. To that, I'll be forever grateful."

What was he to say? That it's his job? He would have done it for anyone? Yes, he would have helped anyone he found in her position. But he and Beth's relationship went way beyond that of obligation. So his only response was to nod.

"But I gotta say, I think there is more to y'alls story."

Daryl suddenly became nervous and resisted the urge to fidget under the older man's gaze. It occurred to him at that moment that this was Beth's father. The woman he was in love with, the girl he was having sex with. The woman that totally changed the trajectory of his life. He didn't know Hershel, just the bits that Beth had told him. He did know he was a man of God and probably wouldn't approve of their living together. Sleeping in the same bed every night without being married. He didn't want to start things out on a negative note.

"I'm not sure what you mean?" He answered lamely. He'd never had to navigate this situation before. Never dated. Never had to deal with anyone's daddy. He almost expected Hershel to ask him what his intentions were with his daughter.

Hershel starred at Daryl for the longest time, those blue eyes much like Beth's. A knowing glint sparkled in them. "Son, I'm old but I still know love when I see it."

Annette directed Daryl upstairs when he came back inside, said Beth was in her bedroom. He contemplated leaving her be, maybe she wanted to be alone. His need to make sure she was okay won out and he followed the staircase up and walked down the hall.

He found her sitting on the edge of her bed, clutching a well-loved stuffed bear to her chest. She rocked slowly back and forth, eyes tightly closed. He watched her for a moment standing in the doorway before clearing his throat.

"They left my room exactly how I left it that day." Opening her eyes, she looked at him then around the room.

He nodded. It was as though a young woman had left it that particular morning, expecting to come back a few hours later. The bed was messily made, the blankets thrown over the sheets, pillows tossed on top. There were a couple of magazines on the nightstand. A bundle of bracelets. An alarm clock. A stack of folded shirts sat on top of the dresser like they were waiting to be put away. A large mirror hung on the wall above the dresser with handwritten notes and photos tucked into the frame. A bookshelf was stacked with books and knick-knacks and framed photos.

He sat next to her on the bed, she leaned into him and sighed. "Not a speck of dust though," she spoke flatly. No dust meant Annette had been cleaning it, making sure to leave everything just so for the day Beth returned. Annette never gave up on her. It was comforting and heartbreaking at the same time.

"She came in here and cleaned in hopes I'd come back. For five years."

"Beth, you gotta forgive yourself."

Tears burned in her throat. "How do I do that?" She questioned.

"By living your life. Forging a new relationship with your kin. Moving on to the next thing, whatever that might be. Will beating yourself up, hating yourself, fix anything?"

It was a rhetorical question, one for her to think on, and he could almost see her mind working, trying to navigate through what she was feeling.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" He asked. "If you need more time." They didn't plan on her staying the night but she might feel differently now and the Greene's probably wouldn't mind having her there for longer.

Her head that was resting on his shoulder snapped up. "No. I want to go home with you. They're my family and this is my home. I can feel it deep in my bones. But you're my family and our house, the house we share, is my home too."

"There's room for both," he said smoothly, kissing her lightly. "You can have roots and wings."

What was the next thing? Beth really had no idea. Building a relationship again with her family wasn't as hard as she feared. She went to the farm at least once a week for family dinners and she spoke to her parents in between visits. She and Maggie texted or called often. Shawn and his girlfriend were busy with the baby but she still talked to them often.

But the future? Her further? She had no idea what was next. Before the Sanctuary she had been taking college courses in business administration. Even then she had no idea why. She wasn't interested in business in the least. She only did it to make her parents happy, to prove she was fine when in actuality she wasn't. It was the least she could do after what she'd put them though - get a job, go to school, act like a normal person.

Once back from Andrea and Merle' she quickly returned to her position at the bookstore. She enjoyed it just as she had before. The townspeople didn't forget her and were happy to have her back judging by their drop-ins to say hi or to check on her. Well except Connie. She kept her distance which was fine with Beth. If a crazy asshole like Negan couldn't come between her and Daryl then a jealous woman wouldn't either.

It wasn't until one day sometime later, she was at the store unpacking a shipment of new/used books when she came across something that finally sparked her interest.

One of the few highlights at the Sanctuary had been delivering the babies. She was good at it. Calm and confident. Even under situations such as Andrea's, she was able to keep cool and make the right decisions.

She slid the book on midwifery into her bag and devoured every word of it when she was alone. On her new cell that Daryl had given her - when did cell phones get so big, she wondered, as she learned to balance it in one hand and type at the same time with her thumb - she looked up the laws and regulations in the state of Georgia.

According to her research in order to become a certified nurse-midwife she'd have to, of course, go to go to nursing school. The closest college with a nursing program was forty-five minutes away. She'd have to drive back and forth obviously. She still had a valid driver's license and Shawn fixed up her old car for her. The idea of driving that far made her uneasy. She used to drive all over without so much of a thought. Could she do that again?

Driving. Being alone. Going to nursing school seemed out of the realms of possibility. How would she afford it anyway? She absolutely would not rely on Daryl for that money. There were grants and scholarships. She could get a second job.

Quickly she became overwhelmed and so she hid the book away, occasionally bringing it back out to daydream. She'd find a way if it was meant to be. For right now, she'd continue to work at the bookstore, live with Daryl in their new place, continue to play guitar, write and sing, and learn how to just be Beth.

Daryl stood at the door of a duplex in town, knocked and patiently waited. It was one of those early summer days where the sun shone brightly but the breeze still blew cool. He appreciated this time of year when the air was a little easier to breathe before the blazing heat of summer took over.

Things finally felt settled. Negan and the Sanctuary were behind them. He and Beth were doing good. Better than good actually.

Beth's family were truly great people and they accepted him as one of their own. They spent a lot of time with them at the farm and Hershel and Annette, Glenn and Maggie and the kids, Shawn, and his wife had visited them at the house he and Beth shared. There was always an occasion to be had. Shawn's wedding. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. And they were always included.

Sherry and Dwight were doing well and had gone back home to visit their respective families. Dwight mentioned it wasn't easy, their families had a lot of hurt feelings to contend with. Overall they were happy Dwight and Sherry were alive and well.

Shortly after they closed the case on the Sanctuary, Rick and Michonne eloped. She showed up at the station one day with a ring from Walmart and grin as wide as the sky. Mike moved out of the house, finally taking the hint with a little motivation from Rick, and Rick was able to move in. He was working construction regularly and Michonne, unsurprisingly, was a great stepmom to Rick's son, Carl.

Just as he was about to knock a second time, he heard shuffling on the other side of the door before it swung inward.

"Afternoon, Jesus."

Leaning on one crutch, the only remaining reminder of the accident, he appeared perturbed. His mouth was set in a firm frown and his shoulders were hunched.

Daryl had made quite a nuisance of himself since Jesus was released from the hospital after the accident. He made sure he had everything he needed. He and Beth brought him food, groceries, leftovers. Took him to doctor's appointments. Hung out with him.

Jesus was appreciative but today was a Tuesday and he wasn't too fond of Tuesdays. It was the day of the week when Daryl took Jesus to an AA meeting.

Getting him there was the hard part, once they got there though, he loosened up and went from being slumped in the metal fold-out chair, pouting like a two-year-old, to listening. He then started joining in on the conversation and working the program.

It was the least Daryl could do for Jesus. Shortly after that fateful day at the Sanctuary, Daryl confronted Jesus. Told him that he knew he didn't drive off the road that night because he was drunk, showing Jesus the picture of the car with the beat-up bumper he found under the tarp at the Sanctuary. The car was registered in Simon's name. Sure, anyone could have been driving it but he had a hunch Simon was behind Jesus' accident.

After showing Jesus the photo, the look on Jesus' face told Daryl everything he needed to know. Jesus tried denying it, afraid of what repercussions there might be. He was still weak from the accident, emotionally scarred. Plain and simple, he was scared, though he wouldn't outright admit it to Daryl. It was finally Beth that convinced him. She told him how she faced Negan. She didn't expect it to end quite the way it did, ultimately she was glad she'd faced her demons.

Jesus relented, eventually recounting what happened. Jesus saw Simon forcing Dwight into their car the night Dwight and Sherry tried to escape. He stopped his truck, asked them if something was wrong, asked if anyone needed help. Jesus quickly realized something was very wrong when Simon pulled a gun on him. He took off and Simon chased him down, hit his bumper forcing him off the road and subsequently causing the wreck that almost killed him.

He agreed to identify him, aiding in the state's case against Simon. Because of Jesus, Simon would be in jail for a long time. In a strange turn of events, Simon pled guilty - something about atoning for his sins - to that and a whole other host of less severe crimes tied to the Sanctuary,

Daryl wanted to be sure Jesus didn't fall down the hole of alcohol again, so, every Tuesday he showed up on his doorstep at a quarter after two in order to make it to the nearest meeting by three.

"Ready?" He asked. He noted Jesus was already wearing his jacket. Progress, Daryl thought. Progress.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jesus mumbled.

Just as it happened in the previous weeks, Jesus was in a much better mood having the meeting over with and on the way back to town he was more talkative.

Sometimes they'd stop for an early dinner. Sometimes they go to the grocery store if there was something specific Jesus needed. Sometimes he'd come home with Daryl for the evening to hang out with him and Beth. Today Daryl had something else in mind.

"Where are we going?" He asked when Daryl got off at the wrong highway exit.

"I got an errand to run," he answered vaguely.

Daryl wound his way through the town and found the shop he was looking for, parking in one of the angled spots in the front. He shut off the engine but didn't make a move exit the Bronco.

Jesus looked out the windshield, reading the wording etched into the front window of the store. He leaned back and whistled through his teeth. "Told ya," he said smugly.

Daryl peered at him out of the corner of his eye. "What the hell you talkin' 'bout?".

Jesus pointed to the store they sat in front of. The name Dale's Jewelers practically screamed at them.

Smiling for the first time in months, Jesus said, "I told you that you were going to marry Blondie."