Klreyes91: Thank you! I hope it lives up to your expectations.
ShutxThexFrontxDoor: Also, something I didn't think about before, the Woody Harrelson references that were throughout 'Savior' (Natural Born Killers and stuff) I'm sorry I made you so sad. Maybe this chapter will make up for it.
Author's Note: I just want to take a moment really quickly to thank everyone that has read Savior and Down the Rabbit Hole. It really means a lot to me. You guys are wonderful, and I hope you enjoy this just as much as the other two.
Merle stood at the front desk signing the release forms. Lucy stood next to him in ill-fitting jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. Her head was tilted down, and she was staring at the floor, her hair falling around her shoulders in waves. It was a little shorter than it had been when Merle last seen her, and it was brushed. It had been cut, some of the knots had been so bad they had to be cut out, and now her hair was layered.
Merle shifted her bag on his shoulder. There wasn't much in it; her hairbrush, toothbrush, and a few other personal effects. He reached out and touched her forearm, "You ready to go home, sugarplum?"
The corner of her lip twitched upwards into a half smile. They walked outside to the truck, and he opened the door for her.. She got inside and he handed her the bag before shutting her door and walking around to the other side.
Before he started the truck, he leaned over and opened the glove box. He pulled out her favorite feathers; two peacock feathers tied together by a thin strip of leather and attached to a bobby pin. He slid it into her hair, right above her ear. "You don't look right without 'em," he told her when she looked at him.
She looked down at the feathers and barely touched them with her fingertips. He closed the glove box and started the engine. The drive from Atlanta was a long one. Lucy was quiet as they listened to the radio. It had been six months since Lucy had last seen him, since she attacked him. Something about that incident, though, seemed to help her though. She 'woke up' from her fantasy world and started getting better. Then a month ago, Merle got a phone call that she was ready for outpatient care. They started drawing up the paperwork for her release.
Merle frequently glanced at her as he drove. Her head was tilted to the side as she stared out the window. Her lips moved silently, muttering words he couldn't hear. "Lucy…" he said her name cautiously, "Whatcha doin' sugarplum?"
She looked at him, "Singing."
He smiled and placed his hand over hers. She looked down at them, two hands, not one.
When they got home, Daryl was there waiting for them. As soon as Lucy stepped out of the truck, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. He hugged her tightly against him, "I missed you."
Her arms slipped around him and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. He smelled just like she remembered, sweat and woods. "I missed you too," she lied. She had spent months imagining he was right beside her, but she couldn't say that.
Daryl pulled out of the embrace. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled before glancing at Merle who was frowning. He took her bag from her and headed inside.
Merle walked upstairs with Lucy. He had taken her bag from Daryl downstairs and now he dropped it onto the bedroom floor. Lucy sat down on the bed and sighed heavily, looking around the room. Merle walked over to her and took her hands in his. She looked up at him, "This is real?"
Merle nodded. "You hungry, sugarplum? We'll go out tonight."
A small smile touched her lips and she nodded. Looking down at her clothes, she frowned, "Let me change first."
Merle watched her kick off the white slip-on shoes before she pulled off her clothes. Her legs, stomach, and arms were covered in faded scars. He stepped over to her and ran his hands down her arms, causing her to shiver slightly. He touched her hips, his thumbs brushed her skin, "What happened?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"The Gove-uh…I did it. He took her hands again, looking at her arms. She tilted her head down, frowning at her scars as tears filled her eyes. She shook her head, "I wasn't…I didn't…" Lucy went into hysterics as she tried to explain how her own imagination had tortured her. How she had scratched, bit, and cut herself with whatever sharp object she could get her hands on. The whole time believing it was something entirely different.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Merle stroked her hair, "Shh, it's okay Cher—Lucy." It would be hard getting used to calling her by her real name rather than her stage name. "I know you thought it was real. Do you want to tell me—"
"No," she pulled away from him. "I want to forget." Lucy looked up at him and gripped his arms tightly, "This is real."
"Yes, Lucy, this is real." He smiled and she returned it with a weak one of her own. "C'mon, get dressed so we can go eat."
Merle watched her open her drawers, rummaging through clothes she hadn't worn in a year and a half. She picked out a pair of jeans and a floral blouse. She pulled a long sweater on over it and zipped up her boots.
Lucy, Merle, and Daryl went to the diner she had worked at years before; before she had met Merle her first night at Bare Assets. The second she stepped through the door, she was wrapped in a bear hug. She tensed at first, but smiled and relaxed at the scent of the familiar perfume. "Lucy, I'm so glad you're home," Chanel told her.
Lucy smiled, wrapping her arms around her best friend, "I missed you."
"I missed you too. We all did." Chanel pulled away and Lucy turned, seeing Marissa standing there waiting for her hug. Lucy wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette, happy to see the girl alive.
Lucy turned to Merle, "Did you plan this?"
He grinned before admitting, "It was Daryl's idea. He thought it would be good for you to see more familiar faces." She hugged Daryl and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush. She chuckled, a smile settling on her lips. Merle took her hand and led her to a booth.
As they all ate their dinner, Chanel told Lucy, "Whenever you're read – if you want to—there's always a vanity available for you."
"You still work there?"
Chanel nodded, "We both do." Marissa smiled and Lucy returned it.
In the weeks that followed, Lucy fell into a routine. She'd wake up next to Merle, and he'd squeeze her hand. He would tell her it was real, and she'd take her medicine. Then they would eat breakfast before he'd leave for work. While he was gone, Lucy would sit on the couch and watch TV. One night, while Lucy laid in bed beside Merle, staring up at the ceiling, she was thinking. Merle laid next to her, an arm around her and his eyes closed, but he hadn't fallen asleep yet. "Merle.?"
"Hmm…?"
"This is real."
"Yes, Lucy, I'm real, you're real, being here is real. You're better."
"But I don't feel like it. I still feel like what I imagined is what really happened."
"That's because all you have is the hallucinations. You don't have memories to replace them with, and that's okay."
She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. She stared at him until he opened his eyes, then she said, "You still want to be with me, even though I'm crazy?"
He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His hand rested on her cheek and he brushed his thumb across her skin. "You're not crazy, sugarplum. You're getting better."
