Yes, I know I have no business starting another story – too many irons in the fire and what not. I couldn't help it though. This thing just came to me and it won't leave me alone. Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy the story. I don't anticipate it to be more than four or five chapters.
Tis the Season
Daryl and Beth Dixon. Their immediate family consisted of them, three boys – two of which were a set of twins- and a wild haired little girl. Throw an Uncle Merle in there and you've got Newnan, Georgia's most interesting family.
Their story is quite interesting as well. Daryl never figured he'd ever be married, much less married with four children, a beautiful home, and a prosperous business. No, that was entirely too much to expect out of the life that had started out for him as nothing more than a cruel joke. Beth, on the other hand, had always dreamed of a life such as this. At one point, however, when she thought everything she ever wanted was just within grasp, the rug was pulled out from under her.
Things often have a way of righting themselves though, and thank goodness for our two favorite sweethearts that's just the way it worked out. There were lumps and bumps along the way of course, that's just how life goes. But it's definitely a good life for them. Let's check in on them. Shall we?
Christmas Eve 2018
"Daryl" Beth whispered into the phone. No response, but she could hear Daryl hollering at kids, "If ya last name is Dixon, get the hell in the truck!"
"Daryl" she hissed a little louder.
"Yeh" Daryl finally answered. It sounded like he was in a cave, with banshees. "What?" he asked.
"Where are you?" Beth wondered. "You're supposed to be watchin the kids – I can't get this wrappin done - somebody's tryin to pull the attic stairs down. I think they're bangin on them with a broom or something."
Daryl couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Can't none of them get those stairs down. They can't reach the door. Just finish up Babe – supposed to be at your sister's like, right now. We're runnin outta time."
"Hey!" Beth heard Daryl yell at somebody. "Put that gas can down. Jack" Daryl continued to yell across the yard. "Jack, I ain't kiddin Dude – gonna bust your tail if ya don't put that away. "
"Dammit Beth" Daryl laughed "How do ya fuckin do this every day?"
"That's why I sub whenever I can" she laughed. "Where's Merle?" Beth asked with a giggle, "I thought he was goin to help you with the kids."
"Hell, he's supposed to be watchin the one that's in the house hot on your trail" Daryl snorted.
Beth realized that she probably did have the better end of the deal. After all, Beth had been locked safely away in the attack turned Santa's workshop. That's where they'd been hiding all of the gifts, wrapping paper, and other items Beth needed. All of the kids thought their Momma was already at their Auntie Maggie's house helping her get ready for the Christmas Eve dinner. There was a little one downstairs though that might be on to them, still banging away at the attic door with a broom or whatever other long handled instrument of destruction she'd come across.
"Are the kids dressed and ready?" Beth questioned her patient husband.
"Yes" he answered "and they're still fairly clean. Just waitin on Merle to get back out here with Aliza so we can go on over."
"Okay" Beth smiled. "Thank you Daryl. You're such a good daddy."
"Yeh, well, we'll see 'bout that. Jack's really pushin it tonight" Daryl growled.
At nine years old, Jack was their oldest – Jackson Bennett Dixon. He'd been startin shit since conception – but more on that later.
"I'll be there as soon as I can" Beth explained. "I just have to sort out all of the stockin stuffers, and" Beth looked up at the ceiling and around at the close quarters "pick the insulation out of my hair."
"Leave it" Daryl teased. "It'll look like cotton candy since it's on you."
"Daryl" Beth grinned from ear to ear. "I'll see you soon – love you big."
"Love you bigger" Daryl replied. "Drive safely."
"Liza" Beth heard Merle downstairs. "Get off that chair 'fore ya fall – the hell's wrong with ya? Ya act just like ya damn Momma – hardheaded as shit."
Beth made a note to bust his balls about that comment to her only daughter later. She peeked out the tiny attic window to see Daryl herding three boys into the Suburban. Merle came off the front porch of the farm house with a three year old Aliza hanging around his neck. Aliza had a banana in one hand and one of her little pink sparkly shoes in the other hand. She was holding the shoe by the strap and slamming it against her Uncle Merle's back. Beth had no idea where the other shoe was. She could only hope that Daryl or one of the boys had it.
"Don't forget this one" Merle told his brother as he began strapping her into a booster seat. Beth gasped when she remembered that someone would need to actually let her out of the attic or she'd be stuck there all night just like Clark W. Griswold when he got trapped in his own attic back in the 80s. Beth texted her beloved.
Hey. Don't forget I'm in the attic. Are you going to drop the stairs before you leave? – Beth
Merle's still here and he's coming up to help you finish all that wrapping. Ya'll just ride over to Glen and Maggie's together. – Daryl
K. Love ya – Beth
Love ya Baby – Daryl
Beth watched her vehicle pull off the black top portion of the drive and onto the gravel road that would take her family to the highway. Below her she heard the sound of the stairs being pulled down.
"Where's Santa's little helper?" Merle bellowed. Beth rolled her eyes and stood up from her wrapping so that Merle could locate her behind the make shift security wall of storage totes.
"Ya mean Hard Headed Hannah?" she asked him with a glint in her eyes.
"Ya heard that did ya?" Merle grumbled and wound his way through the maze of packages.
"Yeh, I heard it" Beth grumbled right back. "It's not too late to send your gift back to the North Pole."
"It's the damn truth" Merle tried to defend himself. "She's just like you – spittin image and mean as hell. She hit me with that mop she found out in the burn pile."
"Well, she's gotta be" Beth reasoned, not even trying to hide the pride she had in her daughter's attempt to get her way. "Three brothers tend to make a girl mean and toughen her up."
Merle chuckled, "I know that's right. What else needs to be done?"
Beth handed her brother in law a big sack of candies, small toys, socks, panties, toothbrushes, and other crazy items – hot wheels cars, Polly Pockets, pencils and crayons. Merle wondered if Beth had just completely wiped out the local dollar store.
"Each kid has a bag that we'll put all their stocking stuffers in for now" she explained. "Later tonight, we'll actually put them in the stockings. I can't risk them barging into the living room when we get home from Maggie's."
Merle thought it was a bit ridiculous but he went along with it. Christmas was Beth's favorite time of year and it had extra special meaning as it was the time of year that his baby brother found his true love. If it were up to him, he'd go ahead and stuff the damn stockings just to get it over with. But, alas, it wasn't up to him.
Within the hour, Merle and Beth pulled up to Maggie and Glen's house in town. Merle made sure to help Beth from the truck. She'd twisted her ankle coming down out of the attic earlier and he was certain Daryl was going to hand him his ass over it.
"Ya okay?" Merle asked as he steadied Beth on her feet. He wondered why she insisted on wearing those damn high heeled boots when her ankle was hurting so. Of course, she'd already told Merle that her outfit demanded to be worn with those boots – she'd bought them special for this occasion.
"I'm good Merle" Beth swatted at him. "Quit fussin over me."
"Alright, alright" Merle huffed back. "Ya ain't the one that's gonna catch hell over this."
"Thank you for helpin me tonight Merle" Beth smiled up at her burly escort. "You always take such good care of us – all of us." She'd looped her arm around his as they walked, more like hobbled, up the steps to the house. Merle ducked his head, still uncomfortable when people spoke to him like he mattered, amounted to something.
"We love you and just don't know what we'd do without you!" Beth stopped walking long enough so that she could tiptoe and place a sweet kiss on Merle's cheek.
Blushing, but beaming at the same time, "Cut that shit out" Merle grumbled.
Glen met them at the door with a grin on his face and a beer in his hand for Merle. "I'm betting you could use one of these about right now" Glen laughed.
Merle cracked that toothy smile of his "Ya ain't got no idea – thanks Man." Beth cut her eyes at both of her brothers and mumbled under her breathe as she limped/stomped away to screams of "Momma" "Where ya been?" "We thought you misappeared!"
Daryl found Beth in Glen and Maggie's bedroom where she was placing her coat on the bed. As Beth turned to leave the room, she caught the vision of her husband standing in the doorway watching her.
"What?" she smiled up at him and walked towards him.
"Lookin at the most beautiful woman in the world" Daryl stated. "My wife" he continued, "the mother to my children." Just as he was getting to say something else probably as incredibly sweet, he noticed the slight limp. "What tha hell happened? Why you all gimpy?"
"Fell down the last few steps coming out of Santa's workshop" Beth laughed. "It's fine" she waved her hands in the air trying to dismiss the subject. "I'm fine."
"Where was Merle?" Daryl pressed on, obviously ignoring her waving arms of dismissal. "Told him to help ya."
"He was right there Babe – caught me before I could hit the floor" Beth pulled Daryl in close, pointing to the mistletoe hanging in the doorway. Daryl smiled and placed his lips over Beth's, calming almost instantly.
"Mmmmmm" Daryl hummed into her mouth causing Beth to open up and allow his tongue to explore. "Taste sweet" Daryl's scratchy voice murmured "like sugar cookies or something."
"You taste like smoke" Beth backed away and looked up at him with her big, blue eyes. 'Why is that?"
"Had a smoke out back with Rick" Daryl shrugged his shoulders. He was trying to act all big and bad, but he knew he was in trouble. Beth had made him promise her that he would try and cut back on his smoking. The recent death of her ex-husband after his fight with lung cancer was still fresh on her mind. Even though they'd parted in a fairly rough manner, they'd both eventually come to terms with it and he'd actually ended up being close with her and her new family.