A/N: This is for my bestie Magenta's Nightmare who loves some Merle. And I love her she is the best there is, not only as a person, but as a writer. Go read her stuff if you haven't already.

She always took the stairs; no matter how many packages she had or how tired she was. Teagan was afraid of elevators so she took the stairs without fail. She lived on the third floor of the old walk up and on hot days it was a chore to walk it, but she had no choice.

When she was little she and her brother had been stuck in an elevator for three hours alone in a hotel at Disney World and she had never, ever been able to set foot in one again. She had been just seven and her brother Michael had been ten, but they had both been terrified. They had clung to each other as the fire department broke into the elevator after it was noticed they were gone.

Their parents had been at the pool and Teagan and Michael had gone to get more towels from their room which was just one floor up and two doors from the pool. There had been a power failure and they were unlucky enough to be in the elevator at that time.

It had been boiling hot that day too and they had been half baked like potatoes before they got out. So on another July day almost twenty-two years later when she came out of her apartment and saw the crime scene tape across the door to the stairwell, she knew her day was going to go downhill really fast.

Down the hallway was the elevator looking ominous and foreboding, and her only way to get to work. She stood there, her feet unable to move, breaking out in a cold, cold sweat. She was twenty-nine years old and terrified of a little square box, she hadn't been able to go up in the Empire State building on her senior trip in high school to New York City because of this fear, or The World Trade Center and now that was gone forever.

She swallowed hard and blew a strand of her brown hair out of her face. She didn't have a choice this time, there was no kind teacher to sit with her while the rest of the class went to the top of the world. And her co-workers expected her at work, she got along with Kristin especially, but she didn't want to make her mad, if she thought she was calling out and leaving her with all the work.

Either she made a rope out of her bed sheets and climbed out her window or she had to get on that elevator. She wound her hand around the straps of her purse and started towards the elevator, wondering what had happened in the stairwell, had someone died?

Teagan finally got to the elevator and it seemed like hours before her finger pushed the button. Almost immediately the doors opened and she was startled because there was a man there. He wore a white button down shirt, but he had rolled the sleeves up because of the heat probably, and she was treated with a view of the biggest, most beautiful arms she had ever seen.

His hair was short but it fit him, he was handsome in a rugged, streetwise way, a dangerous way.

Her eyes went wide as she took him in, he wore a pair of faded but nice jeans, but what struck her most of all was the badge he wore around his neck, he was a cop. Something must have happened in the stairwell for real. There were never cops in her building, she lived in a nice section of town, but here he was.

His words drew her out of her own thoughts about what had happened in the stairwell while she was asleep and when she heard it she knew, his voice was pure sexual dynamite.

"Sugar, are you getting on, because I kind of have somewhere to be." He rasped to her and she jumped at the sound.

He put his hand up to stop the doors from closing.

"In or out honey, tick tock." And she stepped on the elevator.

The doors closed behind her and she looked around as the air was sucked out of her lungs.

"Going down." The man said and she nodded, trying to reign in her fear. "Well, alright then."

Later she swore that the elevator didn't even move but in reality it did, for about two seconds and then it stopped short so suddenly that she fell right into the tall stranger.

"Whoa darlin, you ok?" He said as she backed away from him. He must have seen the wild fear in her eyes because his face went soft as he looked at her.

She had already started breathing heavy and was repeating one word "No, no, no, no, no."

"Oh, honey, no." He stepped forward, reaching a hand to touch hers. "Its ok, they'll get it fixed in a minute."

He held her hand and looked into her eyes. It was time to go into cop mode, he had done this hundreds of times, consoled the families of the victims he sought justice for. Just like the poor girl that lay at the bottom of the stairwell right now, a neighbor of this sweet little thing right before him.

"Honey, here, come'er." He pulled her towards him. "What's your name."

She gulped. "Teagan."

"Oh aint that a nice name, like that singer? The one with the twin sister… you know them right?"

She nodded, yes she knew them, they were her favorite, but she was struck by the fact that this man who had to be almost forty knew about Tegan and Sara.

"My baby brother likes them, drug me to a concert once…I'm Merle." He shook her hand. "They were good…"

Teagan relaxed a little and looked up at him. He had kind blue eyes and she found herself relaxing the more she looked at them. The minutes ticked by and no one came. It was starting to get hot in the elevator and he noticed his companion was sweating and her breath was coming out in spurts again, as if she was about to lose it.

Merle was not one for small talk.

"Don't worry Teagan." He rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "We're gonna be just fine. My partner is down there and if I don't show up soon she will come find me and trust me Michonne don't stop, she will open these doors herself to get to us."

"She your girlfriend?" The girl squeaked out.

"Nah." He looked down at her. "I aint got a girlfriend. We just have each other's back, Michonne and I."

"Merle?" She asked.

"Yeah."

He wasn't prepared for the string of words that came out of the young girl's mouth, but he listened and then he understood.

"My brother and I were stuck in an elevator in Disney for three hours, when I was little and I was sure we were going to die in there and…"

Merle wasn't sure how it happened but suddenly she was in his arms and he was rubbing her back like a lover would. She was a sweet little thing and so scared, and he understood after she told him what had happened to her and her brother.

Her head was on his shoulder and he suddenly didn't care if they ever got out of there. He hadn't had a woman in his arms in a long time, not since Andrea left to take that job in Ohio. That had been almost two years, now, but Andrea had been his age at least.

This girl couldn't even be thirty yet, and he was a dirty old man for thinking what he was thinking right now.

She was calming down though, so that was good. He couldn't have her falling out on him here in the elevator. He was always a calming influence on people and this was no different, as he held her he felt her completely relax

"It's ok." He murmured against her hair and then he realized his mistake. Her hair smelled so fresh and clean, with a hint of apple essence and he inhaled her deeply.

At the same time, she moved against him and then her lips were on his. Merle hadn't expected that and he was sure she had done it because she was scared.

"Wait, wait." Merle said and she shook her head.

"No one's coming…and I don't just want to sit here and die."

Merle backed away from her and laughed.

"We aint gonna die."

Then she did something he would remember for the rest of his days, even if he never saw her again. She winked at him.

"I know." She said and then she felt this beautiful man backing her up against the side of the elevator and she knew this was going to be a better experience than the last time she was caught in an elevator. He had completely relaxed her and turned her on all in a matter of seconds.

Her hands went directly into his hair as he pushed his body against hers and plundered her mouth with his tongue.

"Honey." He breathed out. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

"Afraid we'll get rescued, or that we won't?" She giggled into his ear.

"Thought you was scared?" He said even as he was bringing his hands down the back of her thighs and pulling her up against him. When he felt her wrap her legs around his waist he knew there was no turning back. This was going down, right now.

"I was, I always am, but…" She kissed him. "Right now I'm not feeling scared."

"I see that." He said as he watched her small hands unbuttoning his shirt. "You sure you want this."

She nodded, giving him a devil's grin and pushed herself against him. Of course she was wearing a dress and the thin material of her panties was right against his dick, but Merle figured this was too good an opportunity to waste.

She let out another squeak as he hiked her legs up and onto his shoulders.

"Alright, I'm gonna make this worth your while honey." He said as he brought his hands over her soft creamy white legs.

She watched him as he moved her dress up and over her legs, he was slow about it, but deliberate, building an anticipation in her that was lighting her on fire.

But he looked up at her first one more time. "You're sure?"

She nodded giving him that wicked smile again and he was done. He said a silent prayer to the god of broken elevators that Michonne didn't bust in right now and catch him with his face up this girl's skirt.

She was light as a feather and he lifted her with no trouble at all.

Then he balanced her on his shoulders, and she was against the wall as he moved her skirt out of the way and made his way forward with his hands. He couldn't go as slow as he wanted to, because truth be told, he knew Michonne was having a cow by now and sooner or later the elevator was going to move, once they figured out what happened to him.

There was no time to waste. He turned his head and rested his cheek against her thigh for just a moment and then he went for a soft kiss midway to the center of her and her legs trembled.

Teagan dug her fingers into his hair and pulled him forward.

"Normally Merle, I wouldn't be so rough but you know…"

He peered up at her with a wide grin. "I know." He slid his finger against her underwear and she shuddered. "We aint got all day here."

Still he took the time to leave hot wet kisses along her thigh until he got to where he wanted to be. There were some things a man shouldn't skip over and he didn't.

Teagan's head slammed back against the side of the elevator as she felt his kisses on her leg and his breath on her skin. She didn't even notice and then he was pulling her closer to him. His hands were big and strong but his touch so gentle.

This was a man who truly loved women and their bodies. The way he touched her was as if she was a precious thing, delicate and something to be treasured. He slid her underwear to the side and looked at her.

"Oh, honey that's so nice." He purred as his fingers slid against her. He adjusted her on his shoulders and made sure she wasn't going to fall and then started his evil assault on her.

He could hear her panting as he moved his fingers around, and he knew what he was doing. Her eyes were closed and her breath was coming out in short bursts.

Merle went in for the kill shot and licked her through her underwear and her legs bucked around his neck. She let out a huff of air and whined in a way that let him know she was more than ready. Then he grasped her underwear and pulled them down slowly.

Now she was sure the anticipation was going to kill her and she watched as he put her underwear in his back pocket, he was fully intending to return them.

"Please Merle…" She breathed out, her head moving from side to side and her eyes closed

He kissed up her leg again knowing full well that he was torturing her, but again some things could not be rushed and he was a gentleman. When he finally reached her and she felt his tongue on her she was already halfway there and wouldn't need much more.

But he was giving it to her, all of it. Merle knew his way around a woman's body and he knew exactly what buttons to push. He had never had a female walk away from him unsatisfied and broken elevator or the people that were looking for him be damned.

He drank her like she was the last glass of water at an oasis in the desert and he could hear her soft moans as he pleased her with his grateful mouth.

This was not the way he had envisioned the day when he arrived at this crime scene, but he would take it, all of it and give back to her what she desired most of all. He could feel her legs start to move around his shoulders and he adjusted his stance to keep her up in the air, he wanted her to cum while she was suspended up in the air on his shoulders and he wasn't settling for anything less.

Daryl had told him he had done this with his girl before and she said she felt like she was flying, from being up in the air and Merle wanted her to feel that, she had been scared and he wanted to take really good care of her.

Maybe then she would see him again, a man could hope, couldn't he.

Merle felt her moving more and he could tell she was close, before long she was screaming softly and calling his name and it sounded so sweet to his ears.

But there was another sound, before they had both even come down from the mutual high they were floating on.

It was someone banging on the door to the elevator and then he heard Michonnes's voice.

"You in there Merle? You ok?"

Teagan smiled down at him and he smiled wide at her as he let her slide down off his shoulders against his body, he kissed her softly when her feet were back on the ground.

"Yeah Chonne."

He heard her voice on the other side of the door. "God dammit Shane, I told you he was stuck in there, gimme that axe."

"Slow your roll, Chonne." Shane replied and inside the elevator Merle was laughing and kissing who he hoped was his new girl.

Then the doors slid open and there stood Michonne and Shane Walsh, one of the other investigators.

"Oh I don't fucking believe this." Michonne said putting her hands on her hips. Merle had his arm lazily draped over Teagan's shoulders like he had known her forever.

"I do." Shane countered.