Redneck Takes a Wife 10 – Respecting
Jen S
All recognized characters and situations belong to The Walking Dead, AMC, writers, creators, and actors. I own nothing. This continues to run close to canon but still AU.
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Rick sat at the campfire, his arm around his wife, his son in his lap, his partner across from them. Despite being in the middle of an apocalypse, he was a content man. He glanced around the camp. Rick had met the rest of the camp soon after arrival and put names to faces as he looked around. Andrea and her sister Amy were cuddled under a blanket. Glenn was next to them talking softly to Amy. Morales and his family, Miranda, Louis, and Eliza, sat together. The Pelletier family was off with their own campfire, Carol, Sophia, and Ed, who set off his cop radar the minute he met him. T-dog had stayed in his tent, Jacqui with him. But everyone else was in sight, except for, "Where are the Dixons?" he asked. "I never did meet Merle's brother and his wife." Lori made a sharp exhale that told him she was annoyed, but he ignored her.
"Daryl went hunting soon after you all got back," Dale reported from his lawn chair. "Wants to try to bring in a deer. I don't think he came back before dark so he's probably found a trail at least. Merle and Beth are in their tent."
"Daryl and Mr. Merle are great hunters," Carl said, "We've had rabbit and squirrel and possum. I didn't think I'd like it, but it tastes really good. Especially rabbit."
"Yep, they have certainly kept us fed," Dale nodded.
"And still aren't welcome to sit around the fire with us," Amy grumbled.
"They keep to themselves," Shane said. "Their choice." Lori scowled. Shane shrugged, "They're not the only ones. So long as they do their part for the group, they can do what they want."
Lori huffed. Rick looked at her. Lori shook her head and reached over to stroke Carl's hair. Ed Pelletier tossed another log on his fire causing the flames to climb higher. Shane sighed and stood up to deal with it.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
Merle and Beth were stretched out on their cots in their tent. Dinner had been consumed and the dishes cleaned with a bucket of water. Beth wore one of Daryl's flannel shirts that still had the sleeves and was firmly tucked under her blanket. "You ever gonna tell me what the fight was about between you and T-dog?"
"Usual bullshit," Merle replied. "Him thinkin' he knows me and bein' an asshole about it. I lost my temper. That cop, Grimes, he stopped me. Andrea really stood up for us. Said some really good things."
"She was a lawyer before. Argued for a livin'. Still was nice of her," Beth said.
Merle smirked, "They never had lawyers that looked like that when I was in court."
Beth yawned as she snuggled down. "When are we goin'?"
"Few more days," Merle replied. "My run with Glenn went to shit. Need to go with him again, just us two. Keep my mouth shut this time, just go with him. Get us supplies or at least scout out a place for us to get what we need. Then we'll go find a place for winter."
"Just us, right?" Beth asked.
Merle nodded, "Yeah, just us three. We don't need no one else."
"Yeah," she yawned again. "'Specially not them. Amy 'n Andrea are nice. So're Dale and Glenn. But they'll be OK without us. Rest of 'um can go to hell. Lookin' at us like we're trash even as they're eatin' the meat you bring in. Assholes are gonna miss us come winter."
"Such language. You kiss my brother with that mouth?"
Beth smiled, "Frequently. Strange to think I'd've never met him if I hadn't walked into that bar. If the end of the world hadn't started."
"Nah, you'd've met eventually," Merle said. "You was fated to be together. God would've found a way to cross your paths." Beth smiled at the thought and settled down. She fell quickly into a deep sleep. Merle watched her for a while, then dozed off.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
Daryl huddled down in his vest, wishing he was on his cot with his wife, a warm weight against his chest. But he focused on the idea of bringing a deer home to her. They'd eaten most of the venison from his last hunt at the cabin. Despite bringing in other game, a good size deer could go a long way. So he stayed where the deer tracks approached the small stream.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon when a sound woke him. Daryl slowly lifted his head and found himself nearly nose to nose with a good sized doe. He froze at the sight of her wide eyes, thinking instantly of Beth. The doe scampered away. Daryl grabbed his crossbow and fired a shot, it hit the deer in the hindquarters just before the deer bounded into the brush. Daryl cursed and scrambled to follow it.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
Rick woke in the empty tent, hearing the children playing outside, hearing his son's laugh. He dressed in the clothes left piled neatly and emerged. He greeted Carol who was ironing his uniform strangely enough. He walked over dodging the kids as they ran past, and went to hug his wife. She nuzzled him and smiled.
"I was just in checking on T-dog," Lori said. Rick sighed, they'd had a few minutes of peace at least. "Merle really did a number on him."
"Yeah, but it seems like he brought him on himself," Rick replied. "I got up there after but T-dog admitted he was insulting Merle's brother."
"So that makes it OK that Merle nearly beat him to death?"
"Of course not! But it sounds like Merle and Daryl have been treated like shit by just about everyone here. It's not all that surprising that he finally snapped."
Lori inhaled deeply, "Rick, you need to do something about them. This girl they've got with them is a child. They never let her more than a few feet from them. She's terrified of them, barely speaks to anyone. And that Daryl is always dragging her off into the woods. It's obvious they're having sex out there like animals. Even if she's not protesting, she's still just a child. With all the chaos, she's probably not the only girl in a bad situation, but she is the one right in front of us. If they kidnapped her and are abusing her, we have to do something."
Rick nodded, "I'll talk to them. And the girl. Try to get a read on what's going on. OK?"
"Daryl's still not back," Lori smiled, "Could talk to Merle while he's alone."
"Talk to Merle about what?" Merle walked by with Beth on his heels. "Mornin'. Just comin' down for breakfast. Talk to me 'bout what?" He nudged Beth along. "Go get us some grub, darlin'." He shifted closer to the fire, keeping an eye on her as he spoke to Rick, "Wha's up Officer Friendly?"
Rick took a deep breath, "Need to talk to you. About the situation with the girl."
Merle frowned, "What girl?"
"Beth," Lori snapped.
Beth turned around and walked back to Merle. She took his arm and tugged, "I'm not hungry, let's go."
"It's OK Sunshine, what you want to know, Grimes?"
Rick stared into his eyes, measured what he saw there, and opened his mouth anyway. "She's young. There's some concern that you and your brother may have kidnapped her. I just need to know how she came to be with you."
"They took her!" Lori scowled. "She's terrified of them. They never let her out of their sight. She won't talk to any of us."
Rick scowled to quiet Lori, then turned back to Merle. "Look I just need to know what's going on here. When did they get married? What were the circumstances? Did you kidnap her?"
Merle was furious, standing toe to toe with Rick. Everyone in the camp gathered around the confrontation. Glenn and Andrea pulled Beth back to a safe distance, holding her there firmly. Dale stood with Amy also back out of the line of fire. T-dog and Jacqui emerged from a tent. The Morales clan stood together. Everyone stood staring daggers at Merle.
"Truth is simple, Officer Friendly," Merle snarled. "We took her. I took her." He caught Lori's smug smile out of the corner of his eye, but ignored it. "From the farm house where her father had left her alone with her dyin' about to turn mother and dyin' about to turn brother. We met her when she came into the bar lookin' for her dad. Took her back home but it was not a defendable position. Too open. Too many animals. So when the dead started eatin' the cattle we had to leave and we took her. We couldn't leave her there to die. I couldn't leave her there to die."
"Her father could've come back!" T-dog snapped.
"Five days." Merle held up five fingers to T-dog, then dropped all but the middle one. He never took his eyes off Rick. "That's how long we waited. Five. No one came. No one even called before the phone went down. Not one. Either they're all dead or they just abandoned her. She was alone. So we took her with us," Merle retorted. He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his head. "As for her and my brother, I dunno. Men have been tryin' to explain love since they started writin' shit down." He shrugged. "Don't think anyone's gotten it yet. It just happens. I certainly can't explain it. Wouldn't even try. Just know my brother and his wife have it for each other." He glanced over to Andrea, "What are you snivelin' about?"
Andrea sniffed and wiped her eyes, "Sorry. That's just the most beautiful explanation of love I've ever heard. And it came from you!" Beth pulled away from them and stalked over to stand next to Merle and glower at Rick and Lori.
"Why didn't you ever tell any of us?" Lori snapped.
"Nobody ever asked," Merle growled back. "Just decided you knew what was goin' on. And frankly your opinion of me and mine ain't all that important to me."
"My life and my family are none of your concern," Beth snapped at Lori. "I left with them because I wanted to go. I wanted to live and couldn't do that on my own. My Mom and my brother were dead and walkin' when we got back to the house. They'd've killed me if I was alone. Merle and Daryl stayed and took care of things on the farm. Took care of me when I fell apart after they buried my family. Stayed with me. Nobody came. Not my Daddy, not my sister. Not a single friend or neighbor. We always dropped everythin' and went to help people. But no one came to help me. 'Cept for Daryl and Merle. So I left with them. They protected and took care of me. I fell in love with Daryl and he is my husband. You don't like it, I don't care. It's my life, and you know nothin' about it or me. Maybe you need to spend less time worryin' about what's goin' on in my tent and worry about what's goin' on in yours." Her eyes flicked to Carol then to Ed and back, "Or yours." Carol looked down. Beth focused her glare back to Lori, "B' cause no one here is blind or deaf."
Merle rubbed her back, "You're so upset that I keep her close? It's the damn Apocalypse! There are dead people out there tryin' to eat the livin'. Plus bein' surrounded by people I don't know. Don't trust. She can fight, but she don't have to. That's my job. Daryl's job. Protectin' her. So yeah, I keep her close. Maybe you should do the same. How many times a day do you ask 'Where's Carl?' If you kept an eye on him, you wouldn't risk losin' him every time you turn around." Lori suddenly looked around the gathering. "Where's Carl?" Merle mocked in a high pitched tone.
"DAD! MOM!" Carl suddenly screamed from the woods.
"MOMMY!" Sophia yelled.
"Priceless," Merle snorted as the parents went running. Shane tossed Rick an axe as they ran towards the call. The others followed behind.
"Now can we go?" Beth demanded. "I'm 'bout sick of these damn people and their bullshit."
Glenn blinked rapidly, "Did she really just say that?"
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Rick watched Daryl as he yanked the bolts from the doe. Everyone else had pulled back to the camp. Merle took the squirrels from his brother with a grin. He turned and scowled to find Rick still there. But Rick watched Daryl pull an arrowhead from his pocket and show it to Beth, giving it to her with a shy smile on his face. Beth took it like he was giving her a diamond, eyes wide and bright. Her whole face lit up as Daryl whispered to her. She stretched up on her toes and kissed him. They twined their fingers together as they walked by Rick to go back to their tent.
"Shit," Rick muttered. He may not be able to explain it either, but he knew love when he saw it.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
Merle was gutting the squirrels when Rick walked up. Daryl and Beth were sitting on the truck tailgate examining the arrowhead. They both looked at him and slid to their feet, Beth scowling at him. Rick remembered Glenn's 'baby bunny scowl' comment and had to look away from her face. Laughing at her wouldn't help his case.
"Whatta ya want Officer Friendly?" Merle asked.
"To apologize," Rick replied. "I jumped into this situation without really knowing what was going on. As a cop I know better than that. I accused you and I had no right. So I'm sorry." He kept his tone respectful. Merle responded with a quick nod. "And I wanted to meet your brother and sister-in-law." He looked to Daryl and Beth. "Hi. I'm Rick Grimes."
"Hello Mr. Grimes, I'm Beth Dixon," she replied with a warm smile.
"Just Rick, please," he smiled, "Merle calls you Sunshine, I can see why." He offered Daryl his hand, "And you're Daryl? Nice to meet you." Daryl gave his hand a quick shake with a nod, then stepped back next to Beth. "I understand you two have been keeping my wife and son fed these last few weeks. Wanted to thank you for that. Carl's been raving about the rabbits. Bunch of squirrels there."
"Deer woulda been better," Daryl sighed.
"We're grateful for what you brought," Rick replied. "And I'm hoping you join us to eat it tonight."
"We'll see," Merle said as he finished with the squirrels.
Beth tugged on Daryl's hand and whispered into his ear. Daryl nodded, "Goin' to the woods, she's gotta take a piss." Beth rolled her eyes and groaned. Merle chuckled.
"She doesn't use the RV? I thought all the women did," Rick said.
Beth shrugged, "Woods is fine."
"No," Rick replied. "It isn't. Go use the RV."
Merle looked up at him, then looked to Beth and Daryl and nodded, "Take her to the RV."
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Beth knocked on the RV side. Andrea whirled and pressed a hand to her chest, "Scared me. Where's Amy?"
"With the kids," Beth replied. "Can I use the toilet?"
Dale smiled, "Of course, come on."
"What's goin' on?" Beth asked.
"I found a gift for Amy's birthday and I'm trying to find something to wrap it in," Andrea replied.
"How big is it? The gift," Beth asked.
Andrea smiled, "It's a necklace with a mermaid charm. Small." Andrea showed it to her.
"She'll love it," Beth turned to Daryl standing in the doorway. "Can you go get my new journal? The one from Glenn? It's OK, Merle's at the fire with the squirrels."
Daryl nodded, "Don't leave the RV, K?"
Beth smiled at him, "I still have to pee remember?"
By the time Beth emerged from the RV bathroom, Daryl was back with the journal. Beth took it from him and opened it, "See the front and back pages are this pretty pattern?" She showed Andrea the blue and purple butterflies. "It'll be perfect." She pulled a knife from her pocket.
"Oh, don't ruin your book," Andrea protested.
Beth smiled, "It won't. It's a journal for writin' in. Can't write on the fancy pages." She sliced through the page and handed it to Andrea.
"Thank you sweetie," Andrea hugged her and kissed her temple. She quickly folded the page into an envelope and put the mermaid inside. "She'll love it."
"Hey Amy," Daryl said suddenly.
Andrea shoved the gift into her pocket as Amy bounded by Daryl, "Hey Daryl. Hi Beth! We're gonna do laundry this morning you coming? Did you ever eat anything? You need to eat. Why are you in here? Oh were you peeing? Are you done?"
Beth blinked at the barrage of questions, "I think yes to everythin' you just asked."
Amy giggled.
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Lori walked over to where Rick and Merle stood. She huffed out a breath then asked, "Have you seen Carl?"
Merle smirked at her, "Lose your kid again?"
Rick glared at Merle, "He's down at the quarry with Shane," he answered her.
"I told him to stay in camp where I could see him."
"Well I told him he could go with Shane down to the water. They're looking for frogs. He's fine Lori, he's with Shane. And Beth's there doing laundry with the women, so Daryl's there too. I said he could go. Lori. Lori!" Rick sighed as Lori stomped off. He shook his head and refocused on Merle. "I just think we can do a lot to make this place safer."
Merle shook his head, "We're too close to the city. This mornin' was only the start. Jim's right they're runnin' out of food in the streets. Predator's food supply leaves the area, predator follows it, simple nature at work. They can go anywhere we can. Come up that road same as us, or wander through the woods. Sooner or later our luck's gonna run out here." He took a deep breath. "Me 'n mine'll be movin' on soon."
Rick sighed, "I really wish you wouldn't. Obviously we need you a hell of a lot more than you need us. But there is safety in numbers. Like I said, we get through this by pullin' together, not apart."
"You takin' over, Officer Friendly? Takin' the reins from your pal Shane?"
Rick didn't answer.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
Beth walked down to where the women were scrubbing clothes and laughing. "What's so funny?" Sophia was tagging along behind her.
Andrea glanced over her shoulder, "Just talking about things we miss from before. As for what was funny… it's something you will never have need of."
"That's for sure," Carol snickered, with a wink at her daughter. Amy giggled hysterically.
Beth looked from one to the other, obviously confused. "Never mind, sweetie," Andrea said. "You need help with laundry?"
"No, thanks," Beth shook her head. "Don't got much. I don't think Daryl changed while he was huntin'." She scowled over to where Daryl sat on one of the large boulders smoking a cigarette.
"What do you miss, Beth?" Sophia asked as she took a shirt from her mother and wrung it out.
"Talkin' to my sister on the phone," Beth said softly as she began to soak the clothes. "My parents and the farm." She started scrubbing a pair of pants. "The wash room at the cabin. We had runnin' water, was a lot easier to do laundry there. Shower. And this big cast iron tub. That tub saved us. Merle put me in and laid on top of me when the tornado hit. It didn't have a scratch on it afterwards."
Andrea gave Jacqui a haughty look. Jacqui nodded in acknowledgement.
"I miss school," Sophia said. "I was excited to start middle school. I was going to have homeroom and lunch with my best friend. Guess I'd be there already."
"Yeah, it's September," Andrea said.
"Is it already?" Amy said. "I've lost track."
Andrea and Beth shared a quick smile. A smile that quickly faded when Ed Pelletier stomped down to berate them for talking. Daryl stood as he got close to Beth.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
"MERLE!" Beth's voice reached Merle and Rick still in the camp. Merle turned and ran, Rick followed close behind, pausing to snatch up the ax again.
Down by the water's edge, Beth stood with Sophia sobbing against her chest. Andrea and Jacqui held Carol back who had a red mark on her face. Amy stood frozen in place. Shane was running around the water from where Lori stood with Carl.
Daryl had Ed pinned to the ground, hands around his throat. Ed was slamming his fists into Daryl's arms, but Daryl wouldn't let go.
"You keep your fuckin' hands off my wife," Daryl snarled. "You ever shove her like that again and I will end you."
"You don't got the stones, boy," Ed growled.
Shane reached them and yanked Daryl off of Ed, "ENOUGH!" Daryl got a few good kicks in as Shane hauled him away. "Cool it, Dixon. Now."
Ed leapt up and slammed his fists into Daryl's chest.
"Daryl!" Beth cried out as Daryl went limp in Shane's hands. Shane let him slump to the dirt and launched himself at Ed. Beth handed Sophia to Amy and ran to Daryl. He was trying to suck air in as she gently rolled him onto his back and cradled his head in her lap.
Shane was pounding the shit out of Ed as Merle and Rick finally reached them. Rick grabbed Shane under the arms and pulled him away from the bruised and bleeding man. "Ease off brother. Ease off. He's done. You got him. He's done."
Ed started to roll away and Merle leaned down into his face, pressing his arm onto his throat and cutting off his air, "You put your hands on my sister? I put a bullet to the last man who did that. So here's how it goes, Ed. You ever touch her again, you so much as let your eyes linger on her, and I will end you. You ever lay a hand on your wife or daughter again and I will end you. You got no right. None! Disrespectful fuckin' asshole." Merle spit on him as he shoved away and went to Daryl. He ran his hands over Daryl's chest, feeling his ribs.
Daryl shoved his hands away, "'M fine. Just lost my breath a minute."
"What happened?"
Daryl sat up, "He started fussin' at the women. Then shoved Andrea and Beth outta the way to hit Carol. Woulda been fine if jackass hadn't held my arms down," he glared at Shane.
"Sorry," Shane spit out as he panted. "You alright?"
Daryl nodded. He scowled as Carol wept over Ed, apologizing profusely. "Pathetic bitch," he mumbled. Merle sighed and stood up, pulling Daryl and Beth to their feet.
"Help me," Carol begged, "Please. I need to get him to the tent."
"Fuck him lady," Merle spat, "Leave his ass there." He walked over to Amy and took Sophia from her, picking her up as she wept. "Come on sweetheart, we're goin' back up to camp." Amy and Andrea followed, arms around each other. Beth and Daryl brought up the rear with Lori and Carl. Merle carried Sophia to where Miranda Morales stood and stooped down to set her on her feet. "Listen to me, Pixie. No man has a right to hurt you. No man never. Least of all your Daddy. Daddies are suppos'ta protect their kids no matter what. A spankin' if you done major wrong is one thing. But if he ever hits you again 'cause he's mad or frustrated or whatever, you tell me, or Mr. Daryl, or Mr. Rick. OK?" Sophia nodded and wiped her nose with her hand. "Ms. Miranda's gonna wash your face then you 'n Eliza are gonna play quiet for a while OK?" Sophia nodded again and threw her arms around Merle's neck for a quick squeeze. Miranda took her by the hand and led her into their tent. Merle sighed and stood up, coming face to face with Lori. "Got somethin' to say to me…" he broke off as he saw Carl standing at his mother's side.
"No," Lori shook her head.
"I do," Carl said. "Thanks. To you and Mr. Daryl. It's not right that he hurts Sophia and Ms. Carol. Thanks for stoppin' it."
Merle touched the top of his head as he walked by, "Your Daddy and Mr. Shane helped stop it too."
"Uncle Shane was really mad," Carl frowned.
"So was I," Merle replied, turning back. "Gettin' mad is OK. Hittin' 'cause you're mad, ain't. You get me?" Carl nodded. Merle looked to Lori again, "Got yourself a fine boy there. Shoulda let him catch frogs. We coulda fricasseed 'um up for supper."
Rick drove up in the Pelletier's jeep with Carol bracing Ed in the back seat. He parked it in its spot and he and Shane emerged to carry Ed into their tent. Carol followed silently, eyes downcast.
Lori rubbed Carl's back, "Mr. Merle's right," she said as Rick and Shane walked over to them. "How's about you and Shane go look for those frogs?"
Shane nodded, "Come on buddy, let's show your Dad how it's done."
Carl grinned, "Yeah. Come on Dad."
"Go on Dad," Lori said. Rick smiled and kissed her gently.
"Dale, would you mind if Amy and I borrowed the fishing tackle from the RV?" Andrea asked. "Thought she and I would take one of the boats out."
"Sounds good," Dale nodded.
Rick smiled, "We'll wait for you, help get the boat to the water."
"Thanks," Andrea nodded.
The five of them walked down the road together, Amy twirling an umbrella over her head. In the shop they found another net that Carl claimed to help with the frog catching.
Lori grabbed the first aid supplies, most of which came from the Dixons, and walked them to Carol's tent. She handed them over "Sophia is with Miranda," she reported before walking away.
Daryl sat on the tailgate of the truck with his shirt unbuttoned. Beth was checking his chest over. "Looks OK. No bruisin'. Still hurt to breathe?"
"Nah, I'm good." He took a deep breath to show her. "Asshole hits like a girl. No strength in it. No wonder he hits women and children. Fuckin' coward." He looked at her. "Why'd'ya call for Merle? Didn't think I could handle it?"
"I thought you were gonna kill him. Wasn't sure what Shane would do then. Thought you might need him."
"You thought I could kill him?"
"Was kinda hopin' actually. Cept for Sophia bein' there but I was tryin' to keep her from seein' it. Men like that don't deserve the air they breathe, much less all the effort you're puttin' to keepin' his fat ass fed."
Daryl smirked, "Did you actually just say 'ass'?"
She smiled back, "Guess you 'n Merle are wearin' off on me." She kissed him. The kiss quickly deepened.
Glenn walked by them, "Get a room."
Daryl slid from the tailgate, "Good idea. I missed you while I was gone." He led her to their tent and they disappeared inside.
*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*
In case anyone forgot, while the women were doing laundry, Andrea said she missed her vibrator. Carol said she did too. That's what started the giggling that sparked Ed's attack on Carol. I think we can all agree, that is something Beth will never need. more soon