Hey readers! Thank you thank you THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews and suggestions :) I've given up on naming all of you every time I update, but know that I care for each of you personally! This chapter took me so damn long to post because I wanted to make it perfect. Some major things *things* happen in this chapter and so yeah, basically if you're not comfortable with that, turn away, quickly! Although, if you've read this far, I'm not sure how you could not be okay with it. As always, thank you for reading. :)

Oh! I was listening to Be Good by Waxahatchee and Brother by Matt Corby during this chapter. But basically, I go on YouTube and type in 'walking dead music tribute' and see what happens. :) Enjoy!

A/N: I'm re-uploaded this with some revisions. For some reason, I've been writing this story as if Merle has two hands and he obviously doesn't, so I changed some of the wording, but it's still all the same events!

CHAPTER FOUR

Beth tried to find time alone with Merle all day. She would go out of her way to work next to him, eat near him, even "accidently" trip and brush up against him. She bounced from job to job, and everyone seemed to notice her light and happy manner. Beth had always been the sunshine of the group, but today she was exceptionally sunny.

Daryl watched his brother suspiciously. Merle went about his work, all business. But Daryl couldn't help but notice that when Beth was close to him, he tensed up or lied his way out of the area and made himself scarce. He suspected that it was because he still felt bad about hitting her, but then he rethought it and remembered that Merle didn't feel bad about anything, ever.

Merle had woken up same as every other day at first. Then he felt the tender scratches down his chest and the events of the past night came back to him. Fuckin' hell.

He spent the first half of the day avoiding Beth, although she was pretty hell bent on staying as close to him as she could. He skipped lunch in favor of helping Rick and Glenn clear out the rest of Cell Block A. He was headed to the bathrooms to get cleaned up when a small hand grabbed the back of his collar and tugged him into an empty cell.

"Hey you," Beth said quietly and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled his head down to meet her lips, and Merle almost didn't stop her. But coming to his senses, he pressed his hands to the young girl's shoulders firmly.

Beth looked up at him. "What gives? You've been avoiding me all day."

Merle looked past her and said, "Can't be doin' this anymore. Ain't right, bein' with a young girl like you."

Emotions flashed across Beth's face. Merle thought he caught anger and resentment, but mostly there was sadness.

"Oh," Beth said, taking a step back. Tears pooled in her eyes. "I see. I'm too young. Of course you'd want someone older."

"Now listen, that ain't it at all." Merle shifted his feet and tried to look at her. He couldn't deal with sad women, especially not this one. He didn't know if she was gonna cry or yell or run away.

There was something about his tone, the way he said it. Like he had already discussed the subject, and the decision was final. It made her mad. Anger flared in the blonde's eyes. "What then? I'm not good enough for you? Too weak, too caring? I don't kill 20 walkers a day or eat nails for breakfast so clearly I'm not gonna be able to handle the great Merle Dixon!" The tears had broken free by now and were forming steady lines down her cheeks.

Merle contained his anger. "No, yer takin' this the wrong way, girl."

Beth was yelling now. "Oh, you know what it must be? You must be afraid of what Rick and Maggie and my daddy'll think!"

"Keep your voice down!" Merle hissed at her. They were far from the cell block, but who knew who could be walking down this hallway to the bathroom.

She continued as though he hadn't even spoken. "Admit it! This has nothing to do with your so-called "morality" or any of that other bullshit! This is about you and your fear! Daryl told me the stories, how you abandoned him, left him with your father! And now this. This is about your inability to face anything that might not work out favorably for you!"

At that comment Merle's anger ignited, and his eyes locked on hers. Beth immediately knew she had pushed too far with that last remark. Merle got in her face, and she backed up to the wall. "You listen good, kid. I ain't 'fraid a nobody. I risked my fuckin' life t' kill that bastard Governor. I ain't got one fuck left t' give fer myself, too damn busy givin' 'em out to yer lot! So don't fuckin' tell me 'bout what's favorable! Now I'm old enough to be yer goddamn daddy. If I say it's 'cause it ain't right, that's my fuckin' reason. I don't need you analyzin' shit. I sure as hell don't need you botherin' me. Leave me be!"

Merle spun away from their spot pinned against the wall.

Beth sucked in a breath and looked at him. She didn't know what to do. Should she try to talk to him? She didn't see any way that she was going to be able to change his mind, so after a few seconds, she slipped out of the cell. Sobs racked her small frame, but she was able to keep them quiet until she got to the end of the hallway. She leaned on the wall and slid down it.

Merle picked up his clothes from where he had thrown them in his anger at Beth. He punched the metal wall and stomped out of the cell.

He let the cold water of the shower run down his body. He put his hands on the back wall of the shower and stayed like that for a while. He needed a drink. He needed a line. He needed to fucking hit something. He needed…

After his shower, he grabbed a gun and a rusty crowbar and stomped out to the fence. The walkers got riled up at the scent of living flesh, and they pressed hard into the fence. Merle stabbed one through the fence and yelled, "C'mon! That all ya disease-bearing fucks got?"

The walkers growled in response. Merle picked up the pace. Sweat pooled on his brow, and his muscles burned from exertion. He heard nothing but the roars of the undead and the pounding beat of his heart. The fence creaked and groaned under the walkers' weight. He wasn't sure how long he was out there, but eventually the snarls were all but gone. He backed up, his chest heaving. Looking around, Merle stood in awe. There must have been 30 walkers lying on the other side of the chain links.

Merle was dripping with sweat and blood. He wasn't sure how much of it was his and how much belonged to the dead. So much for that shower.

He could feel the group staring at him as he trudged back through the cell block. Not bothering to walk all the way to the bathroom again, he wiped his face and arms down with a wet rag and laid down. He didn't want to close his eyes, didn't want to think, but eventually sleep overtook him. He dreamt of her lips on his, and his rough hands caressing her smooth skin. But his dreams were plagued with the same scared and foreboding feeling that the group experienced every damn day.

Some time in the middle of the night, he tossed and turned. He finally decided that he may as well get up and get some air, because he knew he wasn't getting back to sleep. He walked the deserted halls, not sure where he was going.

On the other side of the prison, Beth had a similar idea. She trailed her hand down the walls beside her and walked with no certain destination. She had spent most of the evening alone, knowing she wasn't much company. She hadn't given up on Merle, but Beth had enough sense to know she should let him calm down before she tried to talk to him again.

They both walked for a long time, unknowingly getting closer and closer to each other.

Merle turned a corner and saw Beth walking not ten feet in front of him. He stood paralyzed and silent. She hadn't noticed him there, and he planned on walking away when he felt a sudden burning in his chest.

Earlier that evening, he couldn't figure out how to end that last 'I need.' In this moment he realized what he really needed.

Her.

Beth heard footsteps behind her, walking, then running. She spun and barely had time to utter a sound before Merle's mouth crashed into hers. She was taken aback and at first she didn't move, unsure why Merle was here at all, let alone kissing her like a man possessed.

Merle was fueled by an intense need to kiss her, feel her, just know that she was there in front of him and this feeling he was having was real. He pushed her against the wall, and their bodies pressed together.

Something in Beth switched on when their bodies touched. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He growled into her mouth and ran his hand through her long blonde hair, knotting it in a fist at the nape of her neck.

Beth pulled back slightly and found his eyes in the dark. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, sugar. Ya were right, 'bout everything. I am afraid, damn near terrified 'bout what yer sister or yer daddy would do if they knew the things I wanna do t' ya. But I don't care. I need you." His voice was low and shaky.

Beth shivered; Whether it was from the cold metal of the wall or the thought of what this man could do to her, she wasn't quite sure. Merle's mouth took possession of hers once again, and she could think of nothing, save his tongue and his strong arms around her and his husky voice saying, "I need you." She opened her mouth and he did the same, their soft moans mingling together.

Merle handled her small frame none too gently. He clutched at her shirt and her hair, working his way to her behind. His nails dug into her thighs and gave her ass a firm squeeze. She squealed and moved her hips against his. Merle groaned deep in his throat, and Beth flung her legs up around his waist, held steady by the wall behind her. Her hands caressed his rough skin, his cheeks, his shoulders, his hands. Merle's lips travelled up and down her jaw, stopping to nip at her ear.

"You don't know how much I want you right now," he whispered breathlessly. His hot breath on her neck made her shiver again, and this time it had nothing to do with the cold wall. Merle ripped her tank top from her chest, and the sound of tearing fabric echoed through the dark halls. He attacked her chest, biting and pulling on her hard nipples. She moaned lightly, and her hands found the hem of his shirt, and she pulled it off.

She watched him turn her legs to jelly. When he put her whole breast in his mouth, she raked her nails down his back. Immediately Merle growled and his grip on her hips dug into her body. His mouth crashed into hers again, and Beth pushed back with a new found fierceness.

One hand travelled down her body, and she rubbed his package through too many layers of clothes. Merle's breath caught when Beth's little hand squeezed him and rubbed her hips up to meet his.

Merle knew they weren't stopping any time soon. His brain was clouded with want, but he had enough of his wits to pull back momentarily and utter, "C'mon." He led her to one of the cleaner empty cells on this side of the prison. She trailed after him, one hand on his waist, inching closer to the front of his jeans. He flung her around him and threw her on the little mattress. She laughed and got up on her knees before he could lay down. Her hands ran down the big man's thighs.

She teased him, running her fingers over his jeans lightly. His breath was labored as she undid his pants and pulled the zipper down achingly slow.

"Fuck, kid," Merle groaned when she finally freed him of the confines of his jeans and boxers.

I can't fit that in my mouth was Beth's first thought. She had seen blowjobs given before, in the late hours of the night with her laptop, hidden beneath the blankets of her little bed. But she had never given one, and she thought for sure that this would not fit.

Merle saw the look on her face and took a second to pride himself in his impressive manhood. He was about to say something to Beth, but all trains of thought were lost when the girl reached up and boldly grabbed his erection. Her tongue traced a long line up the length of it, and he shuddered in pleasure. She trailed wet kisses up it, stopping to lick at the precum leaking from the tip. She moved to his balls, sucking one into her mouth, then the other.

She didn't have the slightest idea what she was doing, but the moans coming from the man above her told her she wasn't doing a bad job.

It felt so good that Merle thought he was gonna unload right then and there. But he wanted this to last, so he grabbed the little one's hair and led her mouth back to the top of his member. He pulled her toward him gently, a suggestion.

She complied with just a small look of apprehension. Here goes nothin'. She took the throbbing penis into her mouth. She started slow, just moving her mouth up and down. The hand in her hair tightened when her tongue circled the tip. She took that as a good sign and sped up. Her head bobbed up and down, eliciting strained moans from Merle.

Her wet mouth felt like heaven on him and Merle couldn't help but buck his hips as she thrust him into her mouth over and over again. She gagged and spit and gagged again, but she kept at it. The feeling of his cock hitting the back of her throat was foreign, but not all bad. Not to say it was the most pleasant thing she'd ever done, but Merle's quickened breath and moaning made her squirm with pleasure.

When he thought he couldn't take anymore, Merle pulled her off by her hair and gave her a sloppy kiss. Her nudged her back and she laid down, Merle hovering over her. He supported his weight on his arms, which sat on either side of Beth's flushed face. His cock, which was still hanging out of his jeans, hit her abdomen every time they moved. Merle's mouth moved up and down, his tongue traced lines on her body, punctuated by wet kisses. He was torn between just getting down to it and savoring the moment.

Beth was going between extremely confident and painfully shy tonight. That might have had something to do with the man sucking on her abdomen though. Right now she was feeling pretty confident, so she took control. She pushed him down to her center and all but threw her pants across the room.

One layer of thin fabric set between Merle and what promised to be one of the greatest nights of his life. He pressed his tongue to her lacy underwear -she came prepared- and licked a long, slow line all the way to her belly button.

He heard a gasp and a moan come from her, and he did it again, this time dragging his teeth along the skin as well.

"Oh God," she moaned and pushed her hips into his scruffy chin. He felt her through her panties; she was warm and so wet. Finally he ripped them off, probably destroying the delicate fabric. But Beth couldn't find it in her distracted mind to care. Tonight was a night to rip clothes off.

Merle buried his face in her warm center, and Beth arched her back as his tongue touched her clitorus. She was astounded by the feeling, so many sensations assaulted her mind at once. She was reduced to a mess of shaking and moaning, and Merle's erection pushed painfully into the mattress.

She tasted like heaven, her sweet juices covering his mouth. He sped up and Beth's moans turned to squeals. Her hands cupped her breasts, and her hips bucked into the aroused man's mouth. He slowed down, and she whimpered at him.

"Hold on, darlin', I ain't done," Merle said, laughing lightly. He watched her eyes as he slid one finger into her wet sex. Her eyes went wide, and a loud moan ripped from her throat. Nothing had ever felt this good. Merle's hand moved faster, and Beth's body moved against him, willing him to go deeper and harder into her.

He added another finger and pounded into her warm center. Her hips bucked again, and her nails dug into his shoulders.

"Oh God don't stop!" Beth yelled as she climaxed around his fingers, her womanhood shuddering and covering his mouth with her warmth. Merle slid his fingers out of her slowly and watched her writhe under him for a moment before drawing up face to face with her. He kissed her again, and Beth tasted herself on him. She wrinkled her nose, and Merle pulled back, confused.

"What-"

"Nothin'." Beth laughed and pulled his face back down to her.

When their lips touched again, she could feel the need in the way his tongue assaulted hers, but this kiss was more like their first. He was hesitant, apprehensive again. They pulled away at the same second, their words rolling over one another's.

"Ya sure-"

"It's okay-"

They both went quiet, waiting for the other to talk first. After a second, Beth laughed, and Merle responded by cradling her head and laughing into her light hair. They dissolved into laughter, shaking the rickety bed. She was one of the only chicks in the history of his life that could make him laugh like this. And she was so much more than a chick.

He looked back into her eyes and saw, something, in them. Worry, maybe? He looked down at her and said, "Hey sugar, we don't have t'."

Beth's face grew warm as she realized she had no idea how she was going to say what she was about to. "No it's not that." She smiled sheepishly. "It's just, I've never…" She sighed and the words tumbled out. "I've never done it before and I just wanna be good and I want you to like it and not feel like you have to do it just because I'm here and I want it and I just-" Beth stopped, taking a deep breath and holding it. She stared up at Merle with a look of embarrassment and worry.

The older man was never good with words, and he sure as hell had no idea what to say to that. So, starting with her jaw, he traced the lines of her face with one hand. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. When he was sure he had memorized every feature, his hand moved down to her collarbone, his gaze never leaving her closed eyes. He traced her chest, from the tip of her shoulders to her slender hips, taking in all of her curves and edges. His light breath floated across her skin, and she was comforted by it.

She watched him moved up and down her body and thought that he had never looked so vulnerable as he did right now. He had told her about the girls he was with before the end, and she knew none of those girls had meant anything to him. She still wasn't sure what she meant to him, but his calloused fingers tracing lazy circles down her sides gave her confidence. He was giving himself to her, just as much as she was about to give herself to him.

When his hands moved to her womanhood again and touched her lightly, she arched her back and moaned quietly. He leaned over her, pulling her legs up with him.

They locked eyes, and Merle's big hand stroked the side of her beautiful face.

"Ya ready, angel?"

Beth couldn't seem to find any words, so she just nodded and brought herself up to meet his lips. She clung to his neck as he pushed into her slowly, carefully. When he met resistance inside her, he almost stopped, but he stared into her eyes and pushed all the way in.

She whimpered lightly at the sharp momentary pain, and Merle halted. Her eyes were clenched shut, but she nodded and he moved inside her.

He pulled himself out slowly, then thrust back in. She was so tight around his bursting cock, and he couldn't help himself as he bucked his hips into her. A strangled gasp left Beth's throat, and she thrust herself onto him, her nails digging into his back. Merle settled into a rhythm, in and out slowly. Beth sighed and whispered moans into his ear.

"Fuck, Merle, yes.." Beth blushed slightly as the words escaped her mouth of their own accord. She moved her hips against his in the same rhythm, then faster and faster. Merle matched her pace and soon they were both moaning into each other's mouths. Beth attacked his mouth with intense desire, and something deep inside Merle clawed it's way out.

He gave no regard to the fact that this was a fragile, youth girl underneath him. With one hand in her hair and his metal one on her back, he flipped her over beneath him. He grabbed her hips and pounded into her, taken over by the feral need inside of him. He growled out his exclamations of ecstasy. His teeth and nails dug into Beth's skin.

She couldn't think, couldn't speak, could hardly breathe. She was confused by the sudden change in his demeanor, but that didn't mean she wasn't okay with it. Her moans turned to squeals as he hit that one spot inside of her with his rock hard member. She held his hand in her hair and pushed her hips back into his.

His hand reached around and worked her clit, and Beth saw stars. Her voice grew louder, and Merle's hand clasped her mouth shut, his subtle violence serving to arouse her more.

"Oh my God, Merle!" she screamed into his hand, and her walls clenched around Merle's dick.

He let her ride out her orgasm with much restraint. He pulled out slowly, and Beth's gasp pleased him. Now that he wasn't inside her, the urge to blow his load wasn't as strong, and his head was less crowded with feral instinct. But when Beth saw his tall erection and grabbed it in both hands, his head flew back and a moan escaped his lips.

She was on the ground in front of the bed before he even had time to think. She set her small mouth over the tip of it and pushed down, enveloping the appendage, which had obviously grown larger. She had only moved up and down twice, when she heard Merle whispered, "Holy, shit, fuck…"

She stopped and let her tongue run up the length of his cock, then took it all into her mouth and pushed herself to his pelvis.

"Beth!" he yelled as white, hot strings of cum shot into her mouth. She was surprised at the taste, not sweet, but not bad either. Thinking that was it, she moved her mouth from around his cock, only to be pulled back as another round of cum flew from his dick.

She swallowed it all, just like all of her friends had told her to do. Merle pulled away from her, only to yank her up to him by the arms. He planted a long kiss on her mouth, and his one good hand was soft on her shaking body.

He pulled back and asked, "How 'bout that fer a first time?"

Beth feigned a nonchalant tone. "Oh yanno, nothin' remarkable…" she teased breathlessly. He looked hurt momentarily, and she captured his mouth in a kiss. "I'm only kiddin', silly."

Merle smiled lightly and looked at the girl for a minute longer. "Well," he said, averting his eyes from her gaze, "reckon you outta be gettin' back to bed now."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess I should." Beth looked around the room. She didn't have the slightest idea where her clothes were, and she wasn't ready to leave Merle's warmth. When she didn't move, Merle looked at her quizzically.

"Can we cuddle?" She asked, not looking at him.

Merle had never cuddled before, unless you count that one time that he and Daryl had slept close together because the heat in their house had been shut off for the tenth time one winter. But that was sleeping close, not cuddling. Only pansies "cuddled."

So why was he pulling her into the little bed and fitting her body to his? His arm snaked around her stomach, and her head leaned on his shoulder. Beth reached behind her and picked up the first pieces of clothing she could find: Merle's pants and her shirt. She draped them over their bodies haphazardly and settled back against Merle's strong chest. She was asleep in minutes, with Merle tracing lines on her shoulder.

As much as he wanted to fall asleep, he knew he shouldn't. He didn't have the slightest idea where they were, and he knew he would need to get Beth up before too long. Wouldn't do either of them any good to be walking back into the cell block at the crack of dawn, with everybody else getting up.

After an hour or two, Merle shook Beth awake. She yawned and curled into his chest. He chuckled and pulled her up into a sitting position with him.

"Gotta get up, sweetheart," he grunted, finding his boxers in the almost-black room. The tombs got no light from the outside; it sometimes reminded of his time in prison, before the turn.

She groaned in protest and felt around blindly for her pants. Once they were dressed, they emerged from the cell, and Beth asked, "So you know where we are?"

"Got no idea, sugar," Merle replied and laughed. He turned on the flashlight that was stuck in his pants, and they slowly followed the signs back to the main block.

Neither of them knew what to think exactly. They knew they didn't want to leave each other's company, but they were smart enough to know that being seen together would do nothing but harm. They reached the cell block before first light, and Merle stopped short.

Daryl was coming down from the perch, looking directly at Merle. He hadn't seen Beth yet, so Merle pushed her into the last empty cell, and she cried out in confusion. Merle leaned nonchalantly on the door frame.

"What's up lil brother?"

Daryl looked at him with the same suspicious look as he did in the guard tower. "Gonna go out and help Rick fix up the fence on the east side. Could use yer help."

"A'right. Lemme get my gun, and I'll be out."

Daryl eyed him for a minute longer, and annoyance showed on Merle's face. "What?"

"Nothin'. Ten minutes."

Merle nodded. Daryl walked away with one last look at the hallway behind his brother. The fuck is up with him?

Merle turned around and leaned into the cell Beth was hidden in. She looked at him with wide eyes, then smiled. He took her into a long hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Alright. Go on. Take care of yer kids or make breakfast, whatever it is you women do 'round here." Merle playfully dodged her half-hearted punch and watched her walk to the cell block. He covered his mouth to stifle the laugh that bubbled up inside him when he saw the faint teeth marks underneath her old t-shirt.

He grabbed her again right before she got to the cell block and pointed to a particularly bruised part of her skin. "Might wanna cover that up."

She gasped and whacked him. "Asshole!"

He winked at her as she hurried into her cell, and he climbed the stairs to his.

Chapter 5 is coming soon and Let. Me. Tell. You. I hope you like plot twists. :)