I agree with you on Beth. Fanfic Beth is a better person than Show Beth. For Mick to be so in love with her she must have more qualities (esp. integrity) than the show allowed.
Silence to reflect on the man who loved her. Silence to wonder about the man she loved.
And that’s the problem in a nutshell. Both are onesided relationships in her POV, as Mick never told her about his feelings and she fell out of her feelings for Josh long ago.
The funeral has a silent, empty, but peaceful feeling. Beth is introspective, as one is at a funeral. She lets Josh go. She is ready for the future.
In the show I was kind of angry at her for giving Josh up so easily, moving on in the next episode already. But your writing makes me reconsider. She was ready to let go long ago, she just never took the plunge, afraid to hurt Josh. Now, she can be honest. In a way, she is free.
Making her way to the gravesite, each step felt just a little lighter. Each step brought her closer to this sorrowful journey’s end and to a new beginning.
And then there is Mick, and the words are meant for them. And Beth takes the one chance she has on living. Wonderful ending.