~In-laws~

The weather had been nice for being mid November. The wind was slow and cold but bearable to just go out with a cardigan and nothing more. The sun warmed the front of the gray Silverado Daryl was driving, hitting its three p.m. golden rays over Beth's knees. Daryl watched Beth wit the corner of his eye. He knew her very well to tell she was nervous. Since the moment they left the city and entered the highways to the countryside Beth had been doing nothing more than twisting her engagement ring on her slender finger.

"Everything ok, sugar?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine" Beth answered later, assuring with a sighed smile, speeding up her words.

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be ok" Daryl said smiling at her. His right hand squeezing hers.

"But what if they don't like me?" Beth spat in anguish.

"There's no way they just can't like you, you're irresistibly sweet. Bet you gonna make them melt with that smile." He pinched her cheek, putting his hand back on the stirring wheel.

Beth calmed a little bit, but she still was nervous about meeting Daryl's family. They had been together for almost two years, and eventhough he was not a man of talks and fluent conversation, she knew him too well. That is why she said 'yes' and bore that giant rock on her hand. But the matter of Daryl's family was a total mystery for her. He mentioned his older brother Merle once or twice, and there were no good thigs of him. About his father and mother, she only knew he had a father and a mother. No names, no ages, no any other kind of information.

The truck slowed down and turned right to a road lined by two rows of tall cipresses. At the end there was a lovely house still with green gardens and blooming flowers falling in cascade from the pots, a tall tree with a tree house in it resting at the right side of the house.

Daryl stopped the engine and stepped out of the truck, rushing his pace to open Beth's door and help her climb down. She pulled the hem of her blue sundress caring about not showing more than she should as she held herself on Daryl's hand. He saw her and fell in love with her again.

A tall man came from inside the house, walking and trotting towards the couple.

"though you'd never come, lil' brother" Beth fought a gasp when she noticed that her aparently brother-in-law didn't have his right hand.

"Got delayed a bit. Work stuffs" Daryl said with no more explanations.

"ain't you gonna introduce your chick?"

"Beth, this is Merle, my brother." His voice almost in a grunt.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Beth smiled at him nervously. She hesitated on giving Merle the right hand when he gave her his left.

"Bet you wanna know what happened, uh?" Merle said stridently, shaking his arm where his right hand used to be. Beth just stared at him and Daryl with her two round sky-blues in confussion.

"Shut up, Merle. You're scaring her."

"He chopped my hand when I reached it to touch one of his girls, ha ha!"

"Be useful once in your life and help me get this inside" Daryl pointed to their bags in the truck bed. The two Dixon men grabbed the luggage and walked silent to the entrance of the house without crossing any words

"How you've been doing, Merle?" Asked Daryl, breaking the silence.

"Nah, I can't complain. Got a job in a car shop a few weeks ago. Everything's good. Now I'm on the ninth step"

"'m glad to hear that" exclaimed Daryl. Beth didn't ask, she didn't need to. That was the dark detail of his older brother, but she was no one to judge. On the contrary, it was good he was in the ninth step of rehab. Most of the junky guys that joined the program dropped before reaching the second step.

"and you, how's Mr. Engineer doing on the skyscrapers back at Atlanta?"

"Nah, nothing new. We're still having troubles with the subcontract. Project's delayed…How's mom and dad?"

"Been good. They can't wait to see you again. It's been a while since the last time, uh? Now you ge'in married, and stuff."

"Yeah, it's been a while." Daryl said, more to himself than to Beth or Merle. Beth raised her brow, concerned about the tone of her future husband.

The three of them crossed the door and a sweet short lady appeared in front of them .

"Oh my God. Ben, they arrived. Come here my dear boy!" She said almost crying of happiness, stretching her arms and gave Daryl a warm hug. Her hair was ash blonde and her eyes of a stunning grey.

"Mom, I want you to meet someone. She is Beth, my fiancee."

"Dear Lord, she's beautiful!" her mother-in-law gave her the same motherly hug. "Finally, a woman who caught my Daryl." Exclaimed half excited half sad.

"Mom!" Daryl said fightin the blush on his cheeks.

"Come here , my dear," She placed a hand on Beth's back "Merle bring their bags to the guests room. You and I have a lot to talk about" She and Beth walked into the kitchen.

"Lana, leave that poor girl alone, for Christ's sake" a deep low voice came from the backyard. It had to be Dary'ls father. Daryl led Beth to the backyard, a steaming barbeque grilling at the fire. A white blonde man smiled at Beth, eyes as grey as his wife's and his hair of golden threads, just like Beth's.

"Ben Sanders" He stretched hands with his daughter-in-law.

"Beth Greene. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." she was really excited being with Daryl's parents at last. It was a part of his life he kept hidden from everyone, but now that he was tying the knot, she understood if Daryl wanted her to know that private side of his life. Everything was starting to take form for the two of them.

The hours passed by and the conversations took longer among the growing family. Lana couldn't just be anywhere else but right next to Beth. She was extremely kind and wanted desperately to get on her new daughter. Ben talked with Daryl and Merle for hours, enjoying the company of his two sons as the beer cans started to gather around their feet. Once night settled down and the three men became a little tipsy, they decided it was time for bed.

Beth pulled down her nigthgown, piling her clothes into her bag. Daryl finished brushing his teeth and both entered in the bed, spooning Beth into him.

"Daryl?" asked Beth, her head tilted against Daryl's bare chest.

"Mmh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

" 'course, sugar."

"You and Merle…you're not their sons, are you?"

"…no"

"Would you…tell me about it?"

Daryl nodded, doubting inside his mind if that was something he had to tell her. But since she was going to be his wife, he had to trust her with all he had.

"My dad use to beat us, and to mom too. He was a drunk son of a bitch. One night he slapped mom in front of us. Merle stood up in the middle to protect her but dad punched him and shove it away. He killed mom that night. Police came to our place and took us to a shelter home."

"How old were you when that happened?" Beth asked incensed.

"I was seven. Merle was thirteen." She kept the exclamations to herself. She knew he would feel uncomfortable showing pity for him.

"Anyways, these two people, Lana and Ben Sanders adopted us. They took us in their lives, cared for us in one day what our father didn't do in thirteen years. She became a good mother, she taught us her kindness, and Ben is the best man I've ever had. He's been there for us, supported us at any moment."

"What happened to Merle?"

"He was older, had other ideas, he was dealing with different shit. Lana and Ben tried to get him close but he always ran away. Became an alcoholic, a junky crack smoker. He stole some drugs from a dealer he knew once and the asshole caught him red handed. Chopped his hand off."

Beth stood quiet, assimilating what she just heard. It was a dark past indeed.

"I'm glad he's got a job, and he's doing the twelve steps, sweetie."

"yeah, and only with his left hand, that son of a bitch!" Daryl chuckled, pulling Beth closer.

They stood in silence, letting things settle.

"Beth?"

"Yeah?" She turned her head over her shoulder.

"You're right, they don't like you. They love you, sugar." Beth smiled, the darkness of the night hiding her rosy blush on her cheeks. After what Daryl told her about them, about how they sacrificed themselves for their sons, gave them love and acceptance to a couple of unknown kids who didn't have the same blood of them, and not only took care of them but also worried and struggled at each one of their problems, not going the slightest backwards, since that moment she knew she loved them too.