A/N Thanks to all! We're picking up right where we left off, when Beth started crying.

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"Shit, what's all this here now Baby? Hey, hey c'mon quit now. Don't be doin' that. I wasn't mad at ya. I was just explainin' is all. I didn't yell or nuthin', why ya cryin' like this?"

But the crying had started and once it did and all those emotions rose up to the surface, she couldn't seem to shove them back down.

"C'mon now, I ain't good with this kinda shit. I don't know what I'm s'posed ta do for ya . So c'mon, supper's ready and ya said ya was hungry. Let's eat. You'll feel better when you're fed, I know I will. C'mon sit." He pulled the chair out for her and guided her into it.

She didn't speak, she just took in a couple of ragged breaths and nodded her head as he continued, "A'ight then. See there? Everythin's gonna be just swell Baby. You'll see." He wondered just what the fuck had come over him. Was she right? Had he become some kind of soft touch? He wasn't giving into that idea, but he wasn't going to leave her hanging either. Fuck.

He was bewildered by this latest development. He liked women just fine, the soft feel of them, the warm touch and the sweet smell of a woman. He liked all that. He liked drinking and partying with a good time woman. He liked being in bed with a woman who wanted to have a little fun. A little fun that neither of them planned to take any further than that, fun. But that was where his interest in having a woman ended. All this emotional stuff was just plain exhausting and it always seemed to complicate everything.

But fuck if it wasn't hurting him to see her like this. It didn't make any sense, why should he care? Hell he didn't even know her. "Hey now Baby, if I tell ya I'll give ya a ride will ya stop cryin'?"

She wiped at her eyes and that made him think to reach in his back pocket and hand her the handkerchief he carried there, "Here, wipe them eyes and let's get ta eatin', then we'll talk about what we're gonna do next."

He could tell by the way she started wolfing that food down, Baby was hungry. "Didn't that bastard feed ya?"

"Let's just say he wasn't exactly worried about my well-being."

"Ya got any dough at all?"

"No. I did have a little. I had $50 I'd been squirreling away forever, but I just gave that to the clerk for the room."

"K, here's what we're gonna do. Ya finish eatin', we go ta your room an get your case. I'll take your key an go get your money back from the clerk. You can stay in here tonight. You take the bed, I'll sleep on the fold out sofa bed. In the mornin' we pack up an head out. We'll have some breakfast on the way an be in Peachtree just after lunch. We'll see if we can't get ya setup somewhere and we'll say our goodbyes to each other. Whaddya think?" He was trying to recall just when it was he became Mother Theresa.

She clutched his hand in both of hers, "Really Merle? Really? Thank you so much." And tears started rolling again. Baby was desperate.

They finished their supper and went right to her room. She bent to pick up the case but at the same time so did he. It was awkward and his hand slipped, and those bracelets that were all wrapped around her wrist slid up. He saw them then, the telltale marks. Their eyes locked and she knew he saw, and she knew he knew.

"Listen here ta me now Baby, I don't know much, but I do know they ain't built the man yet that's worth that right there. Gimme the case, go on back ta the room now. I'll see about gettin' your money." Fuck me he thought, Baby was even more desperate than he'd realized.

"What if he says no?"

He smiled just a little, "He ain't gonna say no ta me."

Beth

She'd been so dumb. She thought it was going to be fun, exciting. Randall wasn't much older than her, he was nice looking and he always treated her okay. He had a pretty good job and a decent truck. He loved to joke around, he loved to dance and have fun. By the way he talked it seemed like he knew so much about so many things. But what had attracted her the most was that he wanted to get the heck out of town. He was looking for adventure and adventure sounded real good to her. She was sick to death of life on the farm and he was her ticket out of town.

One night he pulled her close, kissed her deep and hot and said, "Come along with me, let's get the fuck outta this shithole." She thought it sounded good and it would all work out just great.

Many, many times she regretted her decision to go with him, but it was hers and she was stuck with the consequences of her actions.

It had been about a year before she arrived at The Traveler's Nest and Merle Dixon's door, that was when things started getting real ugly with Randall. It was bad before that but it had all been verbal, he'd yell and cuss and blame her when there wasn't any beer money left or when he got kicked off a job. Everything was her fault and everything about her appearance, her voice, her actions and her cooking was all wrong. She tried hard to just tune him out but it wore on her.

Then one night he came home and slapped her around, then forced himself on her. The more she said "no" the more it seemed to excite him.

That's when she started to hide away every penny, nickel and dime she could. Her plan was to sneak away for good as soon as she had a couple hundred dollars. She figured that would be enough to strike out, get herself to some other town, any town, and try to start over.

The abuse kept getting worse and worse and more and more frequent. Everything that didn't go his way he took out on her. It was what happened two nights before she showed up at The Traveler's Nest and Merle Dixon's room that made her realize no matter what, she had to get out.

It was his payday but after work he hadn't come back to the crappy little bungalow where they lived. She knew his pattern, he was out blowing his paycheck on booze and cards and probably some woman. He got home late, drunk and in a foul humor. She made a mistake, she asked him where he'd been and if there was anything left of his paycheck. She reminded him they were out of food and the rent was due.

That's when it happened, he beat her viciously, worse than ever before and he was brutal when he forced himself on her. She knew then, money or not, she had to get the hell out any way she could. When he left for work that morning she packed her case, walked to the nearest truck stop and got a ride. Not far, but at least she was out of that place.

She realized exactly what she was doing with Merle. Randall had been her ticket to trouble, she was hoping Merle Dixon would be her ticket out of it. Maybe it wasn't fair to him but Merle seemed to know the score, he knew what she was doing just like she did.

He was nicer than she would have guessed at first glance. She'd thought he was a pretty rough customer, that was the appearance he gave. But appearances can be deceiving, she'd learned that the brutal way. Just knowing him the little bit she did she could see, Merle Dixon was a different breed.

He was rough, coarse almost, and he could sound downright snarly. But his touch was gentle and he showed his kindness and concern in what he did. Protecting her, accepting her into his room after she'd made it clear there wasn't anything in it for him. He'd offered to feed her, and when she made her move, thinking that was how to get him to do what she wanted, he hadn't taken advantage.

Now he was taking care of her business, getting her money back, money she so desperately needed for her new start. He was helping her. She couldn't remember the last time someone had just helped, acted like they cared.

There was a lot more to this unpolished redneck than met the eye. She was relieved and grateful to have his help.

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When he got back from the motel office she had the dishes almost done, "Ya wasn't s'posed ta be doin' that Baby. Told ya I'd take care of it."

"You're taking care of enough Merle, it's the least I can do." Those pretty blue eyes were red rimmed and that combined with the big bruise on her cheek pissed him off. And made him want to kiss it all better.

Shit, he was losing it.

"Let's have another beer, I got a few ta get rid of before we leave in the mornin'."

He handed her the bottle and when she sat on the couch this time he sat there with her. She asked him about his work and he gave her the rundown. Then he told her he wouldn't be staying in Peachtree and what his plan was. "Don't worry Baby, I'll see to it ya got a place ta stay before I go. I ain't gonna just leave ya out on the street."

"Thank you Merle, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here. I don't want to think about it."

"Then let's don't, it ain't no big thing. I'm just helpin' out another human on the rough road a life, that's all it is." At least that's what he was trying to convince himself it was. He'd become a fucking good Samaritan.

"It's a very big deal to me Merle. The biggest." She touched his hand when she said it and that innocent touch got to him. Baby was a real sweet little gal.

"Are you married Merle?" Fuck him twice.

"No, I ain't Baby. I ain't the the marryin' kind. I ain't the goin' steady kind, and I damn sure ain't the be a Daddy kind. I ain't got anythin' against all that stuff, but it just ain't for me. Was ya married ta that bastard?"

"No, thank God. As dumb as I've been I wasn't that dumb."

"Hey now, ya ain't dumb, ya got suckered in is all. There's a lotta guys get their jollies pretendin' ta be sumthin' they ain't 'til they got a woman where they want her. It's done now Miss Beth Greene, ya can't dwell and ya can't blame yourself. You're young, you'll find your way, a better way." Shit, since when did he become a cheerleader / philosopher?

"Thank you Merle, I feel a lot better just talking to you."

"Well that's nice Baby but we best hit the sack now, we got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Ya want first in the bathroom?"

"No, you go first. I'll get my things out of the case."

It didn't take him long to use the toilet, take a fast shower and brush his teeth. He came out in his undershirt and boxers smiling, "Alright, next."

She carried a plastic grocery bag with her personal items and she had her pajamas tucked under her arm.

He hadn't ever kept a woman around long enough to figure out exactly what the hell took them so long in the bathroom, but whatever. While he waited he pulled out the sofa bed and got the extra pillows from the closet shelf. He was set for a night which, judging by the look of the fold out bed was going to be a night of very little sleep. He figured the mattress to be about the same thickness as an onion skin.

Then she came out of the bathroom and he thought his heart might stop. He'd known she was a tiny thing but standing there in that little cotton gown she looked so small. Her skin was pale as ivory and everything about her seemed so soft and delicate. It would have been pretty damn hot and sexy, if it wasn't for the rest of the look.

Baby was covered with bruises. Her legs and arms, every visible part of her was marked with black, purple and green bruises and plenty of nasty-looking red marks. There was even bruising around her neck and he knew what that meant.

He could swear he felt his blood start to boil and his hands started to clinch into fists. Baby was hurt. His adrenaline went into overdrive as he walked to her, and now he was as gentle as he could be when he laid his hands on her shoulders. His tone was serious but he was careful not to sound mean, "Where is he Baby? I'ma go hurt that sumbitch every bit as bad as he hurt you."

A single tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "No Merle, please. It's not that I care what happens to him, I don't. It's you I care about. I don't want you getting in trouble. I just want out. Please don't make me tell you. Please."

Fuck him again, what could he do but gently pull her in for a soft hug. He kissed her on top of the head and told her, "C'mon now Baby, the time for cryin' is done. I'ma get ya outta here and you're gonna get ya a brand new life. C'mon now, get in the bed and get some rest. I ain't lettin' no one hurt ya."

She nodded and sniffled while he guided her to the bed and it was killing him. He wanted to lay there with her. Not for some kind of hot sex, he wanted to hold her and comfort her. What exactly the fuck had come over him? When did he get all warm and fuzzy?

"I'ma be right over here in this bed, right close to ya. Ain't no one disturbin' us tonight. Ya sleep now Beth. Sleep."

He laid down on that shitty sofa bed and his mind was all over the place. How the hell had he gotten himself involved in this bullshit? It was just the kind of complication he'd spent his entire adult life avoiding. But he was in it now. He tried telling himself that all he had to do was just get her to Peachtree, get her some help. Then his part in all this was over. That was his thought as he finally drifted off to sleep.

He woke some time in the night to the feel of the small body pushed up against his back. Her slim arm was wrapped around his middle and he could hear her soft sniffling, and he could feel the dampness of her tears on his back.

He wrapped his hand around her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly he whispered, "It's all gonna be okay Baby."

The sadness in her sweet voice nearly broke his heart when she asked, "How do you know that Merle?"

He kissed her hand again and answered, "Cuz I'm promisin' ya and I'ma make sure of it."

Fuck, he had to promise her. What else could he do? Baby needed him.

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A/N What else could he do? Thank you so much for reading along, please leave a comment / review. The chapter photo is posted to my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please check it out. I hope to see you back next Sunday for more of It's Complicated. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee