We'll Make It (I Swear)

"You will find as you look back on your life that the moments that stand out, the moments you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love." - Henry Drummond

There wasn't much to do in their town but even if there was Tessa and Gabby would have found their way to the bar anyways. It might have been worn down with bad lighting and had more brawls than any other bar in town but it also had the best food, music, and it felt like home. It had been a long week at work and the need to unwind was high. It was meant to be an unofficial girl's night and Gabby had yet to tell Tessa what happened earlier in the day when Daryl showed up, sitting down next to Tessa. Gabby's attention went to the door, waiting for Merle to come strolling in behind him and take away that sliver of fear that had settled deep within her, but she realized after a few minutes that he wasn't there. Gabby hid her disappointment and ordered another drink. The three had been having casual conversation, mostly Tessa chattering on with Daryl adding the random word here or there until Gabby blurted out. "He's fucking someone else, isn't he?"

They both fell silent and Tessa's eyes went wide in shock at the random outburst. "Who? Merle?"

"Working late," Daryl told Gabby as he brought the beer to his lips and tipped it back.

Gabby mulled it over for a minute before she shook her head. "Working late my ass."

She pulled out a couple of bills from her pocket and slapped it on the bar before getting off her stool with the mind set of going to find Merle. It was easier to think he had been with someone else, direct her feelings into that, than deal with the memories that were clawing their way to the front of her mind. She took one step before Tessa was in front of her, a tongue in her cheek. "You're gonna do something dumb."

"Am not," Gabby argued. "Just enjoy the rest of the night with Daryl and I'll see you tomorrow."

Tessa crossed her arms over her chest as if she was ready to physically stop Gabby from leaving when Daryl came up from behind Gabby and grabbed her car keys out of her hand. She glared at him for taking away her means of leaving but he wasn't fazed. "Too much to drink to drive."

"Then I'll walk," Gabby pressed the subject, not willing to give up so easily. She had the day from hell, the nightmares from her past coming back to taunt her, and all she needed right this second was Merle.

"Five miles in the dark?" Tessa questioned, trying to get Gabby to see how pointless it was. "Sit and we'll order some food before the kitchen closes."

"Not hungry."

"I don't care."

Gabby and Tessa had a stare down until Gabby started to sway on her feet and Daryl grabbed a hold of her arm to keep her steady, guiding her back to her bar stool. Tessa sat on one side of her while Daryl sat on the other, clear now that Gabby wasn't in the right state of mind.

"You calm down and eat something and I'll take you to his job after," Tessa tried to reason with her, growing more concerned with what was really going on.

Gabby glared at them as hard as she could in an attempt to come across as intimidating before she sarcastically popped a peanut in her mouth. "I ate." She went to get up and but lost her balance again and Daryl righted her on the stool. She sighed in defeat and impatiently waited for the food. She couldn't help as her eyes went to the door again. "He really working late?"

Tessa looked over to Daryl, begging him with her eyes to say yes even if it wasn't the truth but there was no need. Daryl slightly nodded, "Was working on an old Camaro when I left the shop."

"He never works late," Gabby stated.

Daryl shrugged, "Said he had to finish it."

"No, I don't like this. Something isn't right."

Their food was placed in front of them and Tessa grabbed a fry to dip in the honey mustard. "Eat. Then we'll go from there." Gabby growled, quickly shoving food into her mouth to the point Tessa had to put a hand over the basket. Gabby glared at her with large, stuffed cheeks. "Chew your food, Gabrielle, or you're going to choke, and no one here is going to give you mouth to mouth or the Heimlich."

Gabby's eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder to see Daryl smirking, bringing his bottle to his lips. "I ain't the one who's threatenin' you"

She chewed the rest of the food in her mouth and washed it down with the soda Tessa had, unknowingly to Gabby, replaced her drink with. She was too drunk to notice the difference and didn't need her judgment anymore clouded. She sneered at Daryl. "Fucking traitor."

He snorted in response and shook his head, finding the whole thing amusing. While Tessa and Gabby were arguing over who was going to eat the last chicken strip Daryl pulled out his phone and sent Merle a text telling him to come get Gabby and take her home. Not even ten minutes later Merle was through the door of the bar, concern replacing his usually hard features. Daryl had never asked him to come get Gabby before and he thought something was seriously wrong. He walked up behind them seeing Tessa and Gabby talking in hushed whispers and after a sweep of her body with his eyes his worry dropped a few notches. "Jack and coke. Hold the coke."

Gabby spun on her stool at the sound of his voice and his hand flashed out to keep her steady. She barely noticed his hand on her and she smacked him in the chest. "Where have you been?"

"What I answer to you now, darlin'?"

Tessa growled, still not okay with the eldest Dixon's way of going about things, and Gabby started laughing. Tessa narrowed her eyes and shot Gabby a look who held her hands up in surrender.

"You're just…so…adorable!" Gabby stuttered out through her laughter.

Tessa narrowed her eyes further, sick of how people said her growls sounded more like a cat's meow, and didn't notice Merle shooting his brother a questioning look over their heads. "This what you tell me to get down here for? Some sort of hen party?"

Daryl shook his head, watching the skepticism and anger in Tessa stay directed at Merle. He knew she was judging and waiting for a moment to catch him in a lie to protect her friend. Merle and Gabby had never come out and said they were in a relationship but it was quite clear to everyone else. "She was 'bout ready to hunt your ass down. Didn't wanna drive to see the fight. Been a long day."

Merle raised his eyebrow at Gabby who started to reign her laughter in. "There a reason you huntin' me down?"

Thoughts from earlier in the night were brought back to the front of her mind but she couldn't bring herself to tell him what really happened. "Yup."

Merle stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "I ain't a mind reader and I don't have time for games. So out with it."

Tessa glared at him for being blunt and Daryl pulled out a cigarette, settling in for the show. Gabby slid off her stool and stood in front of him, poking him hard in the chest. "What's her name?" Merle glanced over Gabby's head to Daryl in hopes for an explanation or even a clue and then to Tessa who was still glaring at him. Gabby poked him again to bring his attention back to her. "Who is she?!"

Merle grabbed her wrist, getting more agitated by the minute. "The fuck?"

Tessa was on her feet in a flash and grabbed his arm. "Don't touch her angry, Merle."

"Might wanna follow your own advice there, sweetheart," Merle warned, looking down at her.

"Hey, that's my friend!" Gabby growled, using her other hand to poke Merle in the chest again.

Merle grew angrier with each breath he took and Daryl sat up more, ready to step in if he had to. Gabby was beyond drunk, the events of the day too much for her to handle, and she couldn't get a hold of herself. After a shuddering breath a tear slipped down her cheek. "Never mind."

"See what you did!" Tessa yelled.

"Fuckin' Christ," Merle cursed, loosening his hold on her wrist but not letting it go. "Would someone like to tell me why the hell I was summoned to come get you or I'm going to walk right back out that door."

Gabby swiped at her tears as his word sifted through her mind. "Summoned?"

"The hell is wrong with you tonight?" Merle questioned, his eyes scanning her from head to toe before searching her eyes for the answers no one was giving him. He had never seen her so vulnerable before and he wasn't sure he particularly cared for it.

"J.D." Daryl muttered as if it would answer every question his brother had and

Tessa quickly snapped her eyes to Daryl, catching him off guard and causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Who's J.D.?" Gabby cut in, her eyes shifting from Merle to Daryl.

Merle let out a boisterous laugh. "Oh, girlie, long day?"

Gabby looked over to Tessa and whispered through a sigh. "I'm so confused." Tessa could see Daryl's shoulders rolling with silent laughter. She finally put two and two together and started to laugh leaving Gabby in the dark. Gabby about stomped her foot. "What the actual fuck?!"

"Honey," Tessa tried to explain through her laughter. "J.D. is what you drank tonight. Jack Daniels."

Gabby stared at her friend for a second before turning back to Merle. "What does that have to do with you fucking someone else? Why are you working late all of a sudden, Merle?"

Merle tried to pull her off to the side but she rooted herself in place, liking the security of Tessa being right next to her. "Think I'm fuckin' someone?"

Gabby's fears of his answer overtook her and she barely whispered, "Are you?"

"Yes."

Tessa audibly gasped and Daryl raised an eyebrow in shock. Gabby about fell back on the stool when a smirk pulled across his face and just as Tessa was about to lay into him he put a hand on the bar on either side of Gabby, caging her in. "You."

Daryl relaxed, thankful for the minimal drama, and Tessa watched on with apprehension. Gabby blinked, caught off guard with his proximity, and his scent fogging her mind. "Then why were you working late?"

Merle reached for his drink behind her on the bar, downing the large glass and keeping his eyes on her. "Need the money."

"All of a sudden?" Tessa chirped from the side, her weight on one foot and her eyebrow raised, judgmental thoughts brewing in her head.

Daryl recognized the look on Tessa's face and stood up to move to her side. "Let it go."

"Not now, Daryl," Tessa snapped at him without a second glance, keeping her eyes on her friend and Merle just waiting for him to slip up.

Daryl stepped in front of her as a barrier between her rage and its target. Towering over her, he met her eyes. His tone was soft yet forceful as he growled in her ear. "This ain't about you."

"She is me," Tessa clipped before he even closed his mouth. The tone in her voice proved there was no room for argument and she would do whatever she had to for Gabby.

Watching her for a moment, he searched her face. "She's gotta fight her own battles," he told her, trying to stop the burning in her eyes.

Tessa suddenly remembered Merle's words about being summoned to the bar and got a glint in her eye. "That why you text him?"

"That's different," he brushed off her question but she didn't respond, just staring at him. "You gonna blink or somethin'?" When there was still no answer he challenged her. "You want her driving drunk?"

"You took her keys," Tessa easily argued.

"Think that would stop her or just slow her down?" Daryl questioned, having been around the two of them long enough to know once their minds were set it was unlikely anyone was going to change them.

Tessa was about to spit out another come back when she heard Gabby ask Merle. "Why do you need the money?"

"Now it's a problem a man wants to work?"

"It's a problem when that man doesn't tell the girl he's seeing," Tessa added in her two cents as she moved to stand in front of Daryl so that he wasn't blocking her view anymore.

"Ain't one to be kept on a leash, sweetheart," Merle responded, not bothering to glance over at the fiery redhead instead keeping his eyes glued to Gabby.

Gabby stared back at him as if they were the only two in the bar at the moment. "I want to believe you."

"Ain't that hard."

"Show me."

"I'm here, ain't I?"

"So?"

For the first time Merle dropped his gaze for a minute. "Thought ya was in trouble."

"She could have died." Tessa spoke up and all attention was on her. She shrugged off the stares. "Well you could have!" She defended herself. "Damn near inhaled our food so she could go find you and if Daryl hadn't taken her keys she would have gotten behind the wheel."

Merle looked back to Gabby waiting for an explanation and she shifted on her feet under his heated glare. "I had a bad day. Needed you to be here. You never work late and I thought the worst."

"Could've called."

"And show how bad I felt? Don't need your sympathy, Merle."

"That's why I was here," Tessa nodded to him with an all-knowing smile.

Merle snorted and met the redhead's gaze for a moment. "Girl, you think you would've been able to stop her?"

Growling and moving to pounce, Daryl caught her around the waist and began moving towards the door.

"Put me down!" Tessa struggled against his iron tight grip.

"I will. At home."

"We don't even live together!"

"What about my keys?!" Gabby yelled after them.

With Tessa pinned to his body with one arm he used his free hand to toss them to Merle who caught them mid air. Tessa glared up at Daryl half in annoyance, half in lust. "Is this necessary?"

He didn't answer as Gabby waved goodbye, "Night, Tess."

"Night, Gab…Merle, you better be nice or I will -" she was cut off as Daryl dragged her through the door.

Gabby smirked at the way her friend left before Merle cleared his throat in front of her. "You wanna tell me when you lost all that confidence, sweetheart? 'Cause I ain't 'bout to sit here for hours and build you back up."

"…what about for just one hour?" Gabby looked up at him through her lashes, trying to be cute and not have to tell him what happened but the look in his eyes told her otherwise. "Okay, okay."

"Get on with it."

She tried to look down but he grabbed her chin so she hand no choice but to keep eye contact. "Ain't ever seen you afraid to say what's on your mind."

"I like you," She admitted as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

He chuckled, not releasing her chin from his grasp. "Got that, darlin'."

"…like a lot. Like it scares me how much." Merle watched her, his face unreadable. "See! That's why I couldn't tell you! Because you don't like me like that and now I'm a fool and God why did I even say anything why wouldn't you want to go and sleep with someone else? Jesus I need a drink just forget I said anything," she rattled on quickly all in a single breath.

Merle smirked, unable to keep up with everything she said but enjoying how frustrated she was getting. "You've been hangin' with that friend of yours too much."

"What?" Gabby questioned, almost expecting to see a cloud of dust behind him as he bolted to the door.

"Can't follow a damn word you're sayin', darlin'."

"Figures." She mumbled and he claimed the stool Daryl had been occupying.

"Why do you think I came down here tonight?" He asked, all humor gone from his voice for the moment.

She knew what she wanted his reasoning to be but instead settled for a shrug. "Apparently Daryl told you to come."

He nodded and pulled her to stand between his legs. "Thought ya was in trouble."

"You've said that."

"Think if I was with another chick I would have come?" Gabby thought about it a minute and moved closer to him, leaning her head against his chest. He kept a hand on her lower back but otherwise didn't move. "Goin' to tell me what happened today that had you drinking to destroy?" His question

was soft, full of concern, and spoken right into her ear. It was almost enough for her to spill her secrets but she couldn't, not now, not ever. That was a part of her history that was supposed to have stayed buried.

"I don't know," she whispered loud enough for him to hear but squeezed her eyes shut at the memory.

Merle hummed a response in her ear, leaning back and rubbing a hand up her back to her shoulder and over it to cup her head at the jaw, making her face him. "Gotta better idea of how you can get your mind off things."

"You're talking about sex."

Merle smirked, his eyes darkening at the thought of her angelic body moving over him. "Talkin' is one thing I don't do durin' sex, sweetheart."

"Then let's get out of here," she smiled, a new sense of calm washing over her with the prospect of her being able to shut her mind down for awhile.

He paid and led her out to her car, pulling her keys from his pocket. She frowned, wanting to be pressed against him on the bike not sitting in a car with an arm rest between them. "We'll get my car tomorrow. Can't we take the bike?"

"Can barely stand straight. Don't need you falling off and putting us both out if the bike goes down."

She huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms, "I'm not that drunk."

"Don't matter, Daryl took it."

She looked around the parking lot, searching for the bike until she realized it was gone. "How'd he even get the keys?"

"Get in the car, darlin'."

"I'm not that drunk. How'd he get the keys?!"

"Gabby, get your ass in the car."

"No."

"Want me to leave you here?"

"I don't care."

"Fine." He moved as if he was going to leave and when she stumbled he tossed her over his shoulder. "No more whiskey for you. Stick to your girlie shit."

Merle wanted nothing more than to take her back to her place and bend her over the kitchen table but the longer he was with her the more he realized just how drunk she really was. He had seen her go tit for tat with him before when it came to drinking but this was different, this time he could see the storm clouds brewing in her eyes, and he found himself wondering what put them there. They were halfway back to Gabby's house when she wrapped an arm around her stomach. "Pull over."

"Almost there."

"Pull over, Merle!"

He thought she was going to get sick so he pulled off to the side of the road but instead she removed her shirt in one quick motion. She reached over and turned the car off, sitting topless in front of him.

"You care about me, Merle?" She didn't wait for a response. "Then fuck me." She needed this, she needed Merle to erase her demons from earlier, and if he denied her then everything she was told would be true.

"You're drunk."

Merle had fucked Gabby before without a second thought and his pants were straining at the idea but he felt like he was taking advantage of her. Something happened she was trying to forget by drinking. When that didn't work she had resorted to fucking and while he wanted to help her forget, to put all her pieces back together, he didn't want her to regret it in the morning. He started the car back up and pulled back onto the street. She pulled her shirt back over her head and kept her gaze out the passenger window so she wouldn't have to look at him. She fucked up. Worst day ever and now she was rejected on top of it.

"Ain't like I don't want to," He spoke up a few minutes later but she remained silent, the sting of rejection almost too much to bare. "You'll thank me tomorrow."

Merle kept stealing glances in her direction out of the corner of his eye. She was staring out the window with her arms crossed over herself in embarrassment as she tried to hide her face from him. He sighed and tightened his grip on the wheel for a second before continuing the drive to her house. He parked the car in her driveway and he turned the key killing the engine, allowing the air to suddenly go quiet. Neither one of them spoke as Merle spun the keys around on his finger. Gabby climbed out of the car, ignoring him, still hurt and wanting nothing more than to go inside and grab a beer then possibly call Tessa so she could grieve properly. She used the body of the car so she was able to walk around it no problem until she hit the lawn and stumbled. The door closed on the car behind her and Merle was there to catch her just like he always was.

"Don't need you Merle, go home." He grunted in response and didn't let up on his hold. She shoved him off and stumbled back. "I mean it."

"Fine. You get your ass up them stairs and to that door by yourself and I'll turn around now, sugar."

Gabby glared at him as she straightened her posture to prove to him that she didn't need him but as she turned she slipped on the grass and fell to the ground. "Fuck." She muttered, a few tears slipping out at hurt pride.

"That's what I thought," Merle sighed before he bent down and picked her up. He set her down on the porch, making sure she was holding on to the railing before he went to open the door. Merle worked the key into the lock only to be stopped by Gabby's grip on his shirt, drawing his lips to hers. Breaking them apart he looked down at her sympathetically, running his thumb along her bottom lip. "What'd I tell ya, girl?"

"You said you liked me, that you were worried something was wrong," she was grasping at straws at this point.

Watching her, he didn't move. He studied her face, seeing the war of emotions behind her eyes and the desperation around her mouth, as her lower lip trembled around the unspoken thoughts. "Get inside," he told her quietly, pushing the door open and nodding for her to move.

Gabby could barely keep the pain hidden, feeling as though she had now lost everything. She headed in, using furniture and walls to lead her into the kitchen, to the cabinet next to the sink, not bothering to grab a glass for the whiskey he banned her from earlier. Spinning the top off, she moved to tip the bottle back but it was snatched from her grip before any made it into her mouth, a few drops landing on her shirt.

"You don't need anymore of that shit."

She reached to take the bottle back but it was too far out of her reach. "Like you're one to talk about when someone is cut off."

"You want this?" Merle dangled the bottle precariously between his fingers as if he was offering her an answer to all her prayers. "Think it's going to fix you?"

She blinked at his question before she slid to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Just go home, Merle."

He walked out of the room and left the bottle on the table, out of her reach but still in sight. She heard the front door open and close and then nothing. It was then she finally let the tears fall that she had been holding and. She contemplated calling Tessa but it was late and she would feel like a bother. There was no reason to ruin her friend's night too.