She heard Daryl's light sniggers under Merle's boisterous laugh. "Yes, yes, this is absolutely hilarious." She snapped slightly embarrassed. "But I really do have to go."
Merle sighed melodramatically, tugging her to her feet as he got to his. "Ya sure know how ta kill tha mood princess." He grumbled as he stepped into his boots.
"In order to kill 'the mood' I'm pretty sure it needs to be there. And don't call me princess."
"Don't cha worry darlin', it was there." He said grinning largely, glancing down at her boobs and then his crotch, before raising his eyes back to hers.
Ray blushed hotly as Merle dragged her out to the woods. "Aight, g'on an' do yer thing." He said still grinning at her.
Ok, I must have misheard that. "Ummm, excuse me?"
Merle kept his large grin in place. "Ya deaf? G'on an' pee woman. I wanna git back ta bed before we move on."
"Yeah, no. I can't pee with you right here."
His eyebrows raised even further in obvious amusement. "And jus' how do ya think yer gonna manage separatin' us? Cause I ain't plannin' on choppin' off an arm for yer ass."
Ok, just how did she think this was going to work? She was feeling frantic , plus, the pressure of her bladder about to burst was really hampering her ability to think. She put her hands on her hips attempting to ignore Merle's handcuffed hand squeezing her ass as she did. "Ok." She stated. "I'm going behind the bush and you're staying over here...and for gods sake plug your ears."
"Gotta shy bladder?" He snorted. "An' I cin only plug one ear sugar." He squeezed her ass again as if to emphasize the close proximity of their hands because of the cuffs.
This was getting worse and worse. "Fine." She snapped losing her patience. "Talk then."
"Bout what?"
"I don't care." She bit out. "Just fucking talk... And don't peek."
Merle looked at her crinkling his eyebrows. "I ain't no pervert." Rachel snorted and arched a brow. "Not like tha' anyhow." He mumbled sheepishly.
"Just remember I'm handcuffed to you. I'll kick you in the balls every hour that we have left if you do." She muttered crouching behind the bush, and quickly looking to see if he was peeking. It was awkward getting her pants and underwear down one-handed with the other held high over the bush, eventually in her struggle Merle grabbed onto her chained hand with his and held her steady, releasing her when she got them down. True to his word he didn't look once.
"Ya really woulda chose Ed over me?" He mumbled abruptly.
"Huh?"
"Tha fat fuck tha shot my gun."
"Merle, when I said talk I didn't mean converse."
"Whatever." He mumbled lowly.
Popping a squat barefoot was...awkward. As soon as she finished she stood pulling her pants and underwear up quickly, and turning toward Merle...who was peeing.
"Good god! Say something first Merle!" Ray yelped turning abruptly and shielding her eyes as if she could somehow un-see him taking a piss. "For the love of christ! We have an entire conversation about do's and don'ts before I go and you just whip shit out! What the hell!?" She could feel him 'shaking it out' as he responded.
"Darlin', ya were bout thirty seconds out on tha' roof when I met 'cha from me bein' balls deep in ya; ya think I'ma be shy 'bout takin' a fuckin' piss in front a ya?"
"Are you done?" She snapped still embarrassed, refusing to turn around till she was sure he was all 'put away'.
"All done sugar. Ya act like ya weren' all up on my junk a week ago." He muttered grinning as she turned and caught sight of his still undone pants, albeit with his 'equipment' put away.
"If that's supposed to encourage me to jump your bones you've got another thing coming." She said dryly trying not to grin.
"Hey now, y'all's lucky I was able ta git everythin' undone one handed."
"Sometimes I think you're pure evil." Ray muttered letting her arm to limp as he did up his pants and belt, doing her best not to brush up against him.
"Apparently s'all part of my charm." He grinned back at her as they trekked back to the tent.
"Yes, you are a real charmer Merle Dixon." She smiled impishly, squealing as he plopped on the cot dragging her down with him.
"Ready fer some fun?" He leered.
"Sure." She said brightly as his eyebrows rose in surprise. "And as soon as these cuffs are off Daryl and I plan on having some!" Ray winked over at Daryl who was trying to ignore them. From the way he blushed she was pretty sure he wasn't managing.
Merle's face dropped almost comically as grabbed the sleeping bag and tugged it over them. "Shut ya smart mouth."
Ray giggled as she settled down to sleep, once again facing Merle. She hoped she hadn't really hurt his feelings or anything...he was just fun to tease. Still...she worried her bottom lip as she glanced up, squinting to make out his face in the darkness. His eyebrows were creased in a scowl, mouth turned down in a frown, but his eyes were shut and his breathing seemed deep and steady. Well, if he was asleep then she felt ok apologizing; no awkwardness after and all that. The situation with Ed must have been bothering him, and for a man like Merle, who didn't seem prone to uncertainty, to ask if she would choose Ed over him made her feel bad.
"Merle?" She whispered lightly. Nothing, not even a twitch. "I wouldn't have chosen Ed." She said softly, giving his cheek a quick peck, she turned her head away, forced her eyes closed and drifted off. It was unfortunate then, that she missed the slight twitch of Merle's lips and the creases of his frown disappear.
. . .
"Wake up!" Daryl's voice had her jerking straight up in the cot, staring blearily at his ever present scowl peeking into the tent. "Bodies ta clean an' shit ta pack." He snapped before withdrawing his head and stalking off.
"What bug crawled up his ass?" Rachel mumbled rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Merle just pinned her with a glare. "Ok apparently your ass to."
"C'mon." Merle snarled not answering her observation. "Le's go be useless out there."
"Maybe you're useless. I'm not." She griped as he tugged her out of the tent. "I have to pee again."
He turned to look back at her and she could see exasperation warring with amusement in his features. "Tiniest fuckin' bladder." He muttered, lips twitching, as he tugged her off to the woods.
They found another bush and, much like the night before, finished their business, this time made much easier now that they knew what to expect of each other. "Thanks." She grumbled determinedly not looking at him as he peed.
"Gotta ask darlin', what tha hell ya gonna do when ya gotta take a shit?"
Ray looked up at him in complete shock; that was something she hadn't thought about. "Die." She stated resolutely.
The corners of his eyes began to crinkle, and he let out a large laugh. "Me to sugar, me to. Ruin tha image I have a ya if we have ta cross that bridge."
"Seriously Merle, death first."
He snorted. "Aight, le's git back ta camp. Help tha' whiny brother a mine."
. . .
Camp was a solemn scene with dead bodies everywhere. Blood and walkers were splattered across a fire pit, spreading to the outskirts of the camp, to the edge of the woods surrounding the area. She hadn't really taken stock of the devastation that had happened the night before; she could barely remember it, but now, looking around, the damage was staggering. The worst was Andrea. True, she didn't like her that much, but seeing her bent over the body of a dead woman that obviously meant a lot to her, went a long way towards bridging the dislike she felt for her.
"How are you feeling?" T-dog walked up quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Ray shook her head. "You...this...I...I'm sorry." She finally managed. "Is there anything we can do?"
T looked dubiously at the handcuffs. "Ahhh, might wanna go ask Rick."
"It's ok T, I'm not useless." She answered back rolling her eyes.
They approached Rick who was huddled around the hood of a car with some others, including Glenn and Morales, all looking down at a map. She made a light "ahem" noise trying to get Ricks attention but before she could see if it worked Merle opened his mouth.
"Officer Friendly." He said loudly, earning him a glare from the other officer.
Rick looked at them sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Rachel. Ummm, lets get some introductions out of the way, alright?"
Before she had a chance to respond Rick began a slightly macabre round of who was who, and she was slowly introduced to the remaining members of the group she found herself in. The older man who had introduced himself last night named Dale gave her a tired, friendly smile; although it came out as more of a grimace. A pretty if thin and waifish looking woman, with long chestnut hair was Lori, Ricks wife, and a young boy, cute and slightly pathetic, was Carl, his son. Somehow or another Rick had a streak of luck miles long, and he had managed to wake from a coma, deserted, and find his wife and son. What the hell? Shane was the other officer currently giving her and the Dixon's the stink eye, and she decided she didn't like his attitude. Morales stepped up and introduced his wife and children, giving her a strained smile. A pretty black woman named Jacqui and a sweaty sickly man named Jim were next. The last to be introduced was a small, beaten down woman whose name was Carol and her daughter, Sophia.
The small girl stepped up to her, tugging on her leather vest to get her attention. "Shane says you killed my daddy." She said matter of factly in a soft voice.
"Sophia!" Carol cried.
Ray stood open mouthed, not knowing what to say. She was even more shocked when Merle scoffed and abruptly crouched down in front of the girl, dragging her along. She couldn't hear what he was saying to her but if the look on her face was anything to go by it might almost be nice. Carol was standing frozen in the background, as was most everyone else. Shane was the only one who seemed to think Merle was going to strangle the child or something equally horrible, but Rick held him back, curious to see what was going on.
"G'on now." Merle's sharp grunt snapped her focus away from the groups reactions and back to the pair next to her.
Sophia gave her a shy smile and whispered in her ear so softly she actually had trouble hearing her. "Thank you."
Ray looked at the child dumbfounded, did she really just hear that? Before she could respond the little girl walked with a happy little bounce all the way back to her mother, grabbing her hand and tugging her off.
"What'd you say to her." Shane spat out angrily at Merle.
"Go fuck ya'self." Was the only response that he got, and shockingly it didn't go over well.
"Stop!" Came the shout from Rick before things had a hands to get out of hand. "Right now that doesn't matter." He said sternly at Shane. "We've got to get the hell outta here, any suggestions y'all have will be considered. Right now I'm looking at taking my family to the CDC, any thoughts?" He looked around at everyone.
Ray froze. The CDC? "If its still operational, CDC's the best bet." She said looking directly at Rick, who smiled a bit and nodded gratefully.
"Fuck that!" Shane snapped angrily. "We need to go to Benning!"
"Benning'll have more weapons." Merle piped up looking disgruntled at agreeing with Shane.
The conversation was interrupted by a woman shouting. "Jim's bit!"
Ray left the commotion, tugging Merle along toward Andrea. As she approached she slowed her steps. "I...you're strong." She sighed. "I know we didn't get off on the right foot, but no one should have to do what you're doing alone. I'm not going to pester you or follow like a puppy dog, but if you need something-even if its just someone to shout at, come find me." She sighed again heading for the tent, Merle following with a perplexed look on his face.
. . .
In the end the CDC was determined to be their best bet and the families packed up. She was slightly surprised to find that Morales and his family wouldn't be coming along, something about family elsewhere. Made sense, if she even knew where to begin looking or how to get there she'd be out looking for her own sister. She stood outside the drivers door to Daryl's truck, waiting for them to get on the road.
"Here." A flurry of blonde hair shoved something into her hands. "You're going to get us killed you keep going the way you are." Andrea snapped stalking off to the RV.
Ray looked down and smiled when she saw a pair of sneakers in her arms. She looked up at the disbelief in Merle's face. "I'm apparently likable despite everyone's best effort not to." She said wryly.
"Seems ta' be a problem. A'course I only put up wit yer ass cause I know ya put out."
"Hardy har har. What do you think you're doing?" Ray looked at him like he was crazy as he attempted to jump in the drivers seat.
"Drivin'."
She smirked. "Sooo, let me just make sure I'm understanding this. You plan on driving?"
"Bitch, I already said tha', ya got a prob'lem?" He snapped getting irritated.
"Just wondering if you're going to be comfortable is all." She shrugged.
Merle lost his temper and flung the door open, hopping inside. "Pretty fuckin' comfy." He snapped knowing he was missing something.
Ray smirked at him again and climbed into the truck, straddling his lap. She almost laughed when she saw his eyes widen and his adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard. Except it wasn't really that funny. In fact, with his free hand gripping her ass and his eyes going molten, she was getting turned on. Once again, another case of not thinking things through. She cleared her throat and finished swinging over his lap, planting herself in the seat next to him.
"Still comfy?"
Merle scowled at her, taking a good long look at his left arm, crossing over in front of his body to meet her right arm looking much the same as his. It looked as if they were in the middle of an incredibly awkward hug. "God dammit!" He yelled pulling out of the truck, sending her stumbling out after him.
"Give some warning next time you throw a fit, yeah?" She snapped.
"Don't matter anyhow." Came Daryl's voice along with the thunks all of their belongings made landing in the back of the truck. "S'my truck, I drive."
. . .
The drive was relatively quiet until the convoy stopped to drop Jim off. The three stayed in the truck, not having anything to say to a man they didn't know. She wished she did know him; anything to get out from in-between Daryl and Merle. Not that she didn't like it on some level-she just was uncomfortable being this attracted to two different men at the same time, especially since the two men were brothers.
"So, how'd you two get cuffed together again?" Daryl smirked over at them.
"Girls got a habit a pissin' people off. Killed some guys brother." Merle said with a slight grin.
"Wow. Girl is right here, and I killed his walker brother."
"Wit a stapler." Daryl and Merle both looked at each other and snorted.
"I was at work." She said prissily. "Excuse me for not bringing a crossbow or a gun everywhere I go. Besides, to my knowledge he's the only one that got in. They went on lockdown and doors were only opened if you planned to leave for good."
"Lock down?" Daryl said curiously. "The hell you work?"
"She was some receptionist." Merle interrupted giving another snort.
"Ok I can answer for myself."
"Stop bein' a baby. Ya-" Merle was interrupted by the radio.
"We're here!" Came Shane's crackling voice.
Making their way to the doors was fairly easy. Rick pounding on the door, apparently having a mental break, was not.
"Fuck this shit." Merle snarled tugging her arm. "We gotta git tha hell outta here!"
Rachel stood her ground, staring at the camera, she could have sworn...there! It moved!
"It moved! The camera!" Rick shouted.
As Rick tried to convince people that he wasn't insane (which he was doing a bang up job of looking like), Ray narrowed her eyes. If anyone was left... She marched up to the door, pushed Rick out of the way, and began pounding on the door.
"I know you're in there Jenner!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "Open the damn door!"
The group turned and looked at her in shock as the doors slid open, blinding light encompassing them.
"Rachel?" A mans voice rang out shaking.
