Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. Do not own the characters. Just writing for pure amusement.
A/N: I'm sorry. There's no excuse for my lack of updates other than motivation. And I apologize for Merle in this chapter, too. I'm not sure I'm entirely pleased with how it turned out, but I wanted to get out something in honor of the fact that THE WALKING DEAD RETURNS TONIGHT! I'm not sure I captured the darkness in Merle I wanted, but I trust you all to let me know. Happy reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Fourteen
It was mild frustration that had Carol wanting to give up on dinner all together and toss the tasteless pot of simmering water she called soup into the yard. While she understood that spices and seasoning were never going to be at the top of the priority list during a supply run, she could argue that salt and pepper would only go so far. It was a struggle every single day to turn the lumped portion of slop into something edible and tasty, but contrary to their praise, she was no magician. And she couldn't turn chicken broth and water into anything other than chicken broth and water.
Carol sighed, dropping that large stainless steel spoon next to the pot with force. If she were being honest with herself, it wasn't dinner at all that had her all worked up, eagerly ready to take anyone's head off that dared to even breath next to her.
It was Daryl, and it was the fact that it hadn't even been 24 hours since the kiss and already it had slipped his mind, almost like it never even happened at all. Carol wasn't naïve, and she wasn't expecting the happily ever after to their fairytale, but a little acknowledgement would have been nice.
"What did that spoon ever do to you?"
The chill in his voice stilled her instantly, her frustration with Daryl dissipating at the imminent danger approaching her. "Go away, Merle."
Unlike the others, Carol had never been one to view Merle as an open or dangerous threat. But something in him had changed, and it was that shift that caused her to be weary. She sensed it. Whether it was the chill in the air or the ice in his voice, Merle hadn't come to partake in some innocent, friendly chat.
"Now is that any way to talk to your brother?"
If Carol hadn't already thrown the spoon away, it would have gone clattering to the ground in that moment from the shear shock of his words. She turned to find him propped leisurely against the wall across from her, his gaze cold despite the energetic grin spread across his face. It wasn't just a casual coincidence that he found her, she realized then as she tried to decipher the unrecognizable emotion in his eyes. No, he had sought her out.
"Merle wouldn't – "
"He might have, if it meant he could get at me."
"What do you want, Merle? Dinner's not ready yet. It won't be until the others get back." Carol tried to act casual, turning her back to him to study the pot of tasteless mush. It was a distraction tactic, anything that could save her from the recognition of that dangerous glint in his eyes.
In their years of surviving the outbreak, she hadn't made it a habit of calling out to Daryl for help. But he'd always been there to save her nonetheless. Not today. This time, he was beyond the prison gates with Rick, scouting around the prison for escape routes and alternate means of attack for the Governor.
Rick was intent on knowing the ins and outs of the prison so he could foresee any attack plan made by the Governor and his army. Today he was the one that needed Daryl by his side.
And even if the time came for her to scream, he'd never hear her.
"Just came to chat, Little Twig. That's all."
"Stop calling me that."
"Well, look at ya, darlin'. Yer not even enough to hold onto during a good fuck."
Carol scoffed, determined to put on the same brave front she had when she approached Merle shortly after he and Daryl made it back to the prison. She continued to watch him from the peripherals of her vision, concentrating on his every move. He took a step toward her, his eyes darkening as he did so, and Carol searched hastily for anything that would quell the rising panic.
There was ice in his tone, void of emotion and toting dangerously close to how Ed used to sound when he was itching to strike.
"Count yourself lucky then that you'll never have the pleasure," She retorted.
He laughed, and his eyes grew darker. Merle toed the ground with his boot before taking another step toward her and then another, Carol's already alert frame going rigid from the sight. "Stay back, Merle."
"I saw you, little girl," He ignored her, taking another step. "Up on that catwalk with mah baby brother, when you thought no one else was lookin'." She held her breath, and he took another step. "Yer just itchin' for it, aren't ya, girl?"
Carol's blood ran cold, the threat in the air obvious but remaining unspoken. She turned then, taking the metal spoon with her and holding it up to threaten him with it. He stood only an arm's length away from her and smiled at weak form of defensive. Carol realized that a metal spoon wasn't much of a threat for a man wielding a knife as a hand, but it was all she had to work with, her knife having been discarded on the table in the center of the room.
"Stay back, Merle. I mean it. Take one more step, and I will kill you."
Merle whistled, holding his hand up in mock surrender, that unwavering dark glint flashing in his eyes. The biggest difference between Merle and Daryl was standing right there between them, inadvertently slapping her in the face. They were both tortured souls, but Merle seemed to enjoy the torture. That, above all else, made him dangerous.
"Relax, Twig. I ain't gonna hurt'cha. We done covered this, remember? Slit my throat in my sleep, yada, yada, yada." He eyed her appreciatively. "You are a feisty little thing, aren't ya? I bet that's why my brother likes ya."
"What do you want?"
"Like I said, I just came to chat, seeing as you two is getting' real close and all."
"What does my friendship with Daryl have to do with you?"
"Just want to get to know the girl that made him want to turn his back on 'ol Merle."
Carol's eyes widened in shock, and she took a conscious step back as he continued to move toward her. "Daryl hasn't turned is back on you. And I most definitely wouldn't be the reason for it."
Merle took another step closer, his chest dipping to touch the tip of the metal spoon. He stood still then, staring down at her with the same sinister grin Ed used to have, and Carol was suddenly hit with the memory of a cornered, battered housewife she was hoping she'd never have to face again.
"But if Ed walked through that door right now, breathing and told me to go with him, I'd like to think I'd tell him to 'go to hell.'"
As Merle stood a mere inches from her, inching her back into a confined corner, Carol finally saw this has her moment of truth. Merle wasn't Ed, not in the literal sense, but in this moment, he was as close as she'd seen to the man that used to be her husband since before his death. They possessed the same dark, dominating stare that would make any weaker person their obedient slave in an instant. Unlike Ed, however, Merle was tall and towered above her, making his threat that much grander.
Carol wasn't sure how she was going to reach a man that she had absolutely no connection with when she could never even reach a man that supposedly loved her. But she had to try. She was cornered, with nowhere to run, and Merle had come to hurt her for some reason that obviously had to do with Daryl. It would do her more harm than good if she didn't even try.
"Merle, why do you think Daryl has turned his back on you?"
His eyes flashed, and he twisted his stance slowly pushing her back until her back rested against the wall. "Well, ain't it obvious, Twig?" He smiled and looked around him. "We're still here, in this God forsaken prison with these..." He looked back down at her, a sneer finally turning down his lips. "God forsaken people. And who do you think is the one keeping us here? I'll give you a hint, Twig. It sure as hell ain't me."
"So you're threatened is that it? By me? By Rick? And for what? Daryl's attention?"
"Well it's kinda hard to make my brother see sense when there's pussy tangling in his face, wouldn't you say?" Merle took another step, encroaching on her personal space. He was close enough now that his body was just a few inches from her, and she could feel the hot exhale of each breath he took. "Although," He slowly lifted his hand to trail his fingers along her jaw line. "It is fine pussy, if I do say so myself."
Carol jerked, ducking away from his touch. "What are you doing, Merle?"
"Relax, Twig. I just wanna see what all the fuss is about. Why my brother can't seem to help but chase after your tail."
"Okay, it's time for the kidding to stop." She pushed back on him firmly, but Merle refused to budge, stretching one arm to trap her against the cinderblock wall, the other tracing the length of her neck and jaw to her ear and back again. Slowly, he dipped his head to whisper in her ear, and Carol shivered.
"I don't joke about pussy, darlin'."
"He might have, if it meant he could get at me."
"You don't want to do this, Merle." For the time during their exchange, the fear that Carol felt found its way through her voice. Merle laughed.
"Why don't I?"
"If Daryl came back and saw you like this, it'll destroy him. He still has hope for you, and this would kill it."
Despite the fact that he had her trapped, pressed into the wall and was hovering so close that she could still smell his breath on her skin, hot, sticky and unwelcomed. Despite the fact that his hand now gripped her hip tightly and began to travel up, his fingers grazing skin as his palm began to ever so slowly inch her shirt up, Carol still wouldn't believe that this was the man Merle truly was. She had seen a good man in him once, one that had set out to protect not hurt his brother. But something hand changed. Something had shifted. And she suddenly felt powerless to stop it.
His attitude has been off all day, and she wondered now if it was all because he saw them kiss. He was scared of losing his brother, and he was scared of losing him to her. This was Merle trying to act out against it.
"Please, Merle," she pleaded finally, trying desperately to move far enough away from him to break the skin-on-skin contact. "You can still stop this. You haven't gone too far. It's not too late." She urged him but to no avail.
Merle groaned, dipping his head to rest in the crook of her neck, pressing his lips against the soft flesh as his thumb gently grazed the curve of her breast. He pressed himself into her, and Carol wanted to scream. This couldn't be happening.
Tears dropped from her eyes in spite of the shear will that had fought to keep them at bay.
"Please, Merle," She begged. "This isn't you. I know it isn't. Think of Daryl." Merle halted. "You don't want to hurt him like this. I know you don't. And he needs you."
Carol stilled her breathing and waited for several elongated moments before she finally felt him shift against her and began to step back slowly to put a little distance between them, the darkness in his eyes suddenly gone.
"Ain't no one here that needs me, little sister. Least of all my pussy-whipped baby brother."
"The hell's goin' on in here?" Carol's eyes shot up to see Daryl standing the doorway, his eyes fixed solely on Merle's back, his knuckles gone white from the tight grip he held on the strap of his crossbow. Carol tried to calm the fear that radiated off her body, and quickly wiped at the lingering tears on her cheeks. Merle took another step back.
"God damnit, Merle, did you hear me?"
Merle took in a deep breath and cast Carol a knowing gleam, his sinister smile returning as he turned to face his brother. "Ain't nothing goin' on in here, little brother. Twig and I was just having a little heart to heart while you and Deputy Rick was out on yer little bonding session. Wasn't we, Twig?" He turned to look at her then, prodding her to answer with his stern gaze. Carol watched Merle before seeking out Daryl over his shoulder. Without a word, she just simply nodded. "If you ask me, baby bro, I'd say your girl is a little jealous over all the time you've been spending with Deputy Dick."
Daryl didn't take his eyes off Carol, studying her every movement. Something wasn't right. He could see it in her eyes. Something had happened.
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask you." He finally looked over at Merle. "Don't you got some place to be?"
Merle laughed. "Don't never tell me I can't take a hint." He said before quickly leaving the room.
Daryl's eyes were back on Carol the moment he left. He had only managed to take a few steps toward her before she jumped into his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him close. He didn't flinch, which shocked her. And she was visibly upset after an encounter with his brother, which shocked and angered him.
"Carol, you're shaking." She had expected him to push her away immediately, but felt immediate comfort when he wrapped his arms around her waist instead. His voice was soft against her ear, a sharp contrast from the domineering whisper of his brother only moments ago. "What happened?" She shook her head and snuggled into him closer.
Carol couldn't be concerned with how uncomfortable she might have been making him in that moment. She needed him, needed to feel him to know that he was there and that she was safe. Why his brother wanted to use her to get back at Daryl she still didn't understand.
"Carol."
"Nothing happened, Daryl. I promise." It wasn't exactly a lie. Thankfully, nothing had happened. Even if Daryl hadn't walked in, it looked like she might have gotten through to him enough to stop the undoubted assault. Carol stepped back from him and wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to notice the disappointment that settled into Daryl's face from their disconnect.
Daryl reached out for her, without thinking, gently taking her by the arms and pulled her back into him. His hands cupped her face, and he studied her intently before laying a gentle kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, Carol smiled. "You okay?" He asked.
Carol nodded. "Merle was just acting strange. Something is bothering him. He wouldn't tell me what."
"I'll talk to him." Daryl offered. "Ya sure yer alright, Carol?"
Carol nodded again and closed her eyes, smiling again, more for his comfort than hers. "I'm good now."