In an attempt to get back into the habit of writing I was inspired by Halloween and recent news stories and came up with this gem. My first TWD fanfiction, and the first thing I've posted in a really long time! Enjoy! :)
"You tell that redneck husband of yours that it's not charity, it's tradition, and if he makes you not have one he will have the whole Greene family on his ass."
Beth sighed wearily at Maggie's angry tone. She had had it up to here with people talking to her like that today.
"Maggie, I'll talk to him, but please, for now, just hold off on the baby shower plans, okay?" Placing two fingers to her temple she attempted to rub the budding headache away from behind her eyes. She was tired, her back was aching, her feet felt two sizes too large, and she was not in the mood to deal with moody people, especially her sister and the father of her unborn baby.
"Alright, but I'm telling you we are having one. You already skipped out on a traditional wedding; Mom will be heartbroken if we don't at least have a baby shower for her first grandchild."
Always the "mom will be heartbroken" card…
"Maggie, I'll talk to you tomorrow, I'm going to go and lay down. Goodnight, I love you."
Without letting Maggie get a word in edgewise, she hung up the phone and tossed it onto her bed, bringing her hands up to the towel she had hurriedly wrapped around her hair. Of course, her sister would respond to her text message right when she was trying to get a shower.
I thought stress was bad for a pregnancy she mused bitterly, plopping down beside her phone.
This afternoon, she had excitedly told Daryl about the baby shower her family was planning, and much to her chagrin, he'd reacted very poorly.
"I can pay for our kid, don't need charity from anyone." He'd hissed at her as he was snatching up the keys to the truck, storming out the door with an angry "going to see Merle" tossed at her.
She'd promptly broken into hormone induced tears and spent the majority of the day wallowing in a carton of Ben & Jerry's.
Now, it was dark out, and still no sign of Daryl.
Resigned to the fact that she'd be going to bed alone, Beth threw on one of Daryl's long sleeved shirts that reached her knees and grabbed her phone. She placed her free hand on her swollen stomach, rubbing it softly as she headed out into the kitchen to shut off all the lights.
"It's alright baby, daddy just has some issues he needs to work through. Uncle Merle will help him."
Taking a drink of the glass of water she'd poured earlier in the day, she turned towards the living room, and promptly dropped the glass to the floor where it shattered.
Staring back at her from the window behind their living room couch was a clown.
Or rather, a man in a clown mask.
Beth screamed shrilly for all she was worth and threw herself back against the kitchen counter as the clown tilted it's head slowly from side to side, lifting his arm so she could see the large hunting knife clutched in his gloved hand. He tapped it against the glass as she reached behind her and withdrew the largest butcher knife from the block on their counter.
"Baby brother, you know I ain't one to side with the goody too-shoes Greenes, but I think you might be over-reacting this time."
Daryl shook his head angrily as he continued pulling the label off his sweating beer bottle, rolling it on the worn bar top.
"No, I know what this is. It's their way of trying to make sure their baby girl is taken care of. They think if they disguise it as a happy little party, I'll let them buy all the big stuff. Cribs, rockers, swings…I can take care of my kid, Merle, I don't need them."
"Baby showers are pretty standard, you know. And, this is their first grandkid, you kind of need to expect the…bounty of gifts."
Huffing, he sat as far back on the backless bar stool as he safely could and placed his hands on his thighs.
"They already think I'm too old for her, don't want them to think I can't take care of her, too."
Merle sighed and took another drink of his beer. How he and his brother had ended up growing up so differently in the same household, he'd never know.
Before he could reply, Daryl's phone rang loudly from his front breast pocket.
"It's Beth…shit didn't realize it was getting so late." Daryl mumbled as he flipped the phone open and accepted the call.
"Daryl?! Daryl!"
"Beth? Baby, calm down, what's the matter?"
"Daryl there's, there's a clown outside the house, he has a knife, oh God, Daryl, please hurry!"
Daryl was standing up, chair clattering to the floor before he knew it. Merle, seemingly able to hear the conversation from where he was, had already reached into his pocket and thrown a twenty on the bar and scooped up the keys to Daryl's truck.
"We're on our way, we'll be there in a few minutes, just keep talking to me. Are the doors locked? Where are you?"
The two brothers ran from the bar, Daryl clutching his phone to his ear as he jumped in the passenger seat.
"I'm…I locked myself in our bedroom. I have a knife. I HAVE A KNIFE! The front door is locked I'm…I'm not sure if the basement door is. What…what do I do if he gets in here?"
"It's locked, baby, it is. Just…calm down, we're almost there. Is the baby okay?"
"Yes, yes we're both okay."
A car horn made Daryl jump as Merle blew through a red light, pushing the old truck as fast as she would go.
"Good, that's real good sweetheart. You're going to be alright, me and Merle will take care of it."
The truck slid from the road onto their driveway as Daryl reached in the glove compartment and pulled out his pistol, racking one into the chamber. If he found this bastard, he was dead.
"I…I think I can hear your truck." Beth's voice instantly sounded like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
"I can see the house, we are going to check the outside and we'll be in to get you baby. Stay put. Scream if you need us."
"I love you Daryl." Beth said softly, chocking on a sob.
"I love you too, baby. I'll be right in."
The truck wasn't even stopped and Daryl was jumping out the door, slipping the phone back into his pocket as he grabbed the pistol with both hands. He heard Merle coming right behind him as he rounded the corner.
He first picked up the boot prints in the mud right in front of the living room window, and he traced them around the entire perimeter of the house, including a prolonged period in front of the basement door. Had he heard Beth say she didn't know if it was locked?
They lead back into the woods from where they'd came, and Daryl was itching to track this bastard down and hurt him for harassing his very pregnant wife.
"Common, we gotta check on Beth first." Merle snapped him out of his rage as he bumped shoulders with him, heading towards the front door.
The two brothers quickly cleared the house and Daryl headed back the hallway to their bedroom, shakily putting his gun in the waistband of his pants.
"Beth?"
The door swung open and before he could move she was pressing herself into him, her stomach preventing her from getting as close as she truly wanted to be.
"Oh, Daryl, thank God."
Wrapping his arms around her and burying a hand in her hair, Daryl breathed in the smell of her and felt his heart beating clean out of his chest.
"I got you sweetheart, you're okay, I got you both."
He wasn't sure if it was the hormones or plain old fear, but Beth's shoulders shook with the intensity of her sobs as she clung to him, breathes coming in short gasps. From behind him Merle came around front and placed his two large hands on her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly.
"You're ok Bethy, he ain't out there." He rasped, running his palms up and down her arms. Daryl watched as she left his embrace and hugged his brother. It had always surprised him how quickly sweet, meek Beth had taken to loud, voracious Merle, but it warmed his heart to know his wife loved his brother like her own.
"Take some deep breaths, don't need you passin' out on us. Don't think little brother's heart can take it." He smirked down at the top of her head as she nodded into his chest, pulling away slightly and pulling in a lungful of much needed air. Daryl reached out to touch her, to comfort both her and himself.
"I'm sorry it's just…he stood there staring at me, tapping that knife on the window. I ran in the bedroom and I could hear him walking around the house, runnin' the knife along the siding. I…I didn't know what he was gonna do."
Daryl's lips were pulled into a grim line. He'd seen on the news that lately, people had taken to putting on clown masks and terrorizing people. A few had even murdered people. Was this guy one of those people? Would he have hurt Beth?
"Don't worry sunshine, we'll find him." Merle promised.
"No!" Beth's answer was quick and almost instantly her eyes glassed over with tears again. "Please don't leave me here alone. It would take both of you and I can't be alone…"
"Sweetheart, we're not going anywhere. Not tonight. Merle will even stay, wontcha Merle?"
His big brother nodded immediately.
Merle turned towards the kitchen, leaving Beth and Daryl standing in the hallway.
"Where's that fancy tea you like? Gonna make you a big cup and we're all just gonna settle down, maybe watch a movie or some homely shit like that."
Beth smiled. She knew her Dixon boys would take care of her.