Good morning! This is a little late, sorry about that! Some of you asked if I was basing this Jenna lady on the infamous Gemma from Sons of Anarchy. Honestly? Their attitudes are very similar. I personally LOVE Gemma but I'm probably not going to like Jenna too much. Good eye, girls ;) I know, I wasn't feeling all too creative. Anyhow, I like this chapter. Beth just may come off as a bit... cringe... OOC but only for a few small minutes. She isn't OOC in this too me. I see Beth as a lot stronger than some people give her credit for. We are expecting some pretty bad storms to roll through this evening so my internet may be lost. If you don't see a post tomorrow morning then that is why. I could probably use some of your good vibes sent my way. Last time we had bad storms a tree fell on my house! But my internet was still working so I posted a chapter anyway ;) That was me, giving mother nature the finger. Thank you all for reading! Be safe tonight if you're in the midwest!
Chapter Twenty Nine
Merle was starting to get anxious. He never should have let Carol take off by herself. It didn't matter what the fucking weather was like, the town wasn't safe. She wasn't safe. And he was stupid enough to let her go. He stiffened when he felt a soft touch on his arm. He looked down at Beth's wide eyes.
"Would ya like to walk down to that bookstore?" She asked. "You look real worried."
He glanced around once more. It had been a good half an hour since she took off alone. Surely it don't take a girl that long to buy a book. He nodded and stood up quickly. Beth joined him, walking briskly to keep up with his longer strides.
Once they hit the sidewalk he was nearly power walking towards the book store. "I shouldn't have let her go by herself." He grumbled, more to himself than the small blonde that was still trying to keep up with him.
"Sometimes a girl just wants to be alone, Merle. There isn't anything wrong with that." Beth offered, sounding a little winded.
Merle glanced down at her and then slowed his pace. "I know, but it ain't safe here. Not right now. If somethin' ever happened to her..."
"Merle." Beth took his hand, the contact strangely comforting. "Nothin's happened, okay. Buyin' books takes a while. She hasn't even been gone long."
He looked down at their hands, hers dwarfed by his much larger one. He met her eyes briefly and then she pulled her hand back, flushing slightly.
"Oh, damn, Dixon! Got yourself a fine little piece, there don't ya?"
Merle looked up and there stood two guys that he recognized instantly. Guys he'd known most of his life. Guys that, up until a week ago, he had spent most of his time with. There was a woman with them that he also knew. Well, he sort of knew. He didn't remember her name but he remembered she was a bad lay. And he remembered she'd do any kind of drug you could give her.
"Best watch your mouth there, Lewis. Before you gotta get it wired shut." Merle growled. With one hand he pushed Beth behind him, secretly hoping they would go away without him being forced to beat one of them to death.
"Well, no need to get pissed off there, Merle. We been wonderin' where ya been. Stopped by a few times when we saw your brother's truck gone. Neighbors said ya'll bailed. You've missed out on some sweet stuff, my friend."
Merle felt his resolve slip just a little. Lewis always got the best shit. But he couldn't help but really focus on how these people looked. They looked bad. Too skinny. Eyes sunken and glazed over. Bad teeth protruding through dry lips. They looked like fucking zombies. He was thankful then that it had never happened to him. Somehow he was still as big as he was when he was twenty. His body hadn't wasted away the way theirs had.
"Are you gonna introduce us too your little girl here?" The woman sneered and to his surprise Beth was about to step out from behind him but he stopped her. She didn't look too happy but she didn't look afraid of them like he thought she would be.
"Hey Merle." Carol said as she appeared behind the three newcomers clutching a small bag.
Three heads turned to look at her. He was so relieved to see her there that he had momentarily forgot about them. He finally let Beth come around from behind him. Carol had a way of soothing his nerves but right now she was making him more nervous. He didn't want her or Beth anywhere near these fucks.
"You ready to get the hell outta here?" He asked her as she glanced towards the group that were looking at her.
"I think that would be a good idea." She said and the venom in her voice was not lost on the others. The woman's eyes narrowed as she took a step closer to Carol.
"I know about you. You're Ed Peletier's wife. So it's true? You really are the girl that the Dixons get to share." The woman elbowed Lewis who started checking her out appreciatively.
Merle didn't hit women. He never had before and he never planned too, but this bitch was really starting to piss him off. He couldn't believe he'd fucked her. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was about to say something but he didn't have time.
"I'm sorry. You must have me mistaken for someone with no morals. You see, some women actually can spend time with men without sleeping with every one of them. I'm sure a person like you has no idea what I'm talking about, but it's the truth." Carol said calmly.
Merle watched as the woman took a few long seconds to process what Carol had said and then her eyes narrowed and she took another step towards her. "What is that suppose to mean? I think ya might wanna recognize who you're talkin' to little girl."
"I know exactly who I'm talking to." Carol spat, losing that calm that she had exuded only a few seconds ago. Merle couldn't even find his voice. He'd never seen her look so pissed off. Not even at him and he pissed her off all the time.
"I don't think you do." The woman spat taking one more step.
"I'm looking at some strung out junkie that has about five seconds to get out of my face before she gets her ass kicked."
Merle about choked then. He was pretty sure Carol had never been in a fight in her whole life but there she stood, looking like she intended to make good on her word. But Merle knew that the other woman had probably given just as many beatings as she had gotten and it might not end to well for Carol. And he wasn't going to just stand there and let her get her ass kicked.
Lewis and the other guy, Gary, were both standing there, almost salivating at the prospect of getting to watch the two face off.
Instead of taking Carol's advice and backing up the woman just moved closer and then, to everyone's surprise, she shoved Carol.
Beth gasped and was about to take a step forward but Merle had her around the waist. The one he should have went for, however, was Carol. The look that came over her then reminded Merle of Buck. She threw her bag down on the sidewalk and pounced on the woman like an angry cat. The other men backed up as their female companion landed hard on her back, with Carol on top of her, and then let out a shrill angry shriek. She reached up and tried to hit Carol but she wasn't as fast as Carol was. Carol ducked her head away from the woman's fist and then slapped her right in the face.
Merle let go of Beth then and went to pry the angry women apart but as soon as he grabbed hold of Carol the other woman rolled her, pinning Carol to the ground. Carol tried bucking her off but the woman was a bit bigger than her and Carol wasn't an experienced fighter. Being on your back wasn't really a bad thing in a fight. If you knew what you were doing you could really do some damage.
"Merle, do somethin'!" Beth hissed.
He tried once more to grab for one of them but they rolled, hitting his legs and causing him to fall right on his ass on the sidewalk. Then he heard a familiar sound. He looked up in horror as Daryl's truck swung into the parking spot next to the sidewalk. And then he noticed other people surrounding them. Dale was there, looking like he really wanted to do something to help. A few more people from the bar that he recognized. Lori and Andrea were hurrying over and then, to make it even worse, Shane and Rick were both coming out of the sandwich shop across the street. They weren't in uniform but still. This sucked.
He scrambled up off the sidewalk and looked down just in time to see Carol finally roll the woman back over and then she swung, punching the woman right in the forehead. She actually hissed in pain and shook the hand that was probably fractured. You never wanted to punch a person in the forehead but she didn't look like she had much form as far as fighting went.
"Carol?" He looked up in time to see Daryl push through the crowd. Carol looked up at the sound of his voice and took a nasty hit to the eye for her troubles.
That got her attention and she proceeded to try to hit the woman once more, this time with her left hand. It landed but not with enough force to do much damage. It just grazed the woman's jaw. She didn't have a chance to try again because all of a sudden one thick arm wrapped around her waist and then she was gone. Buck had her lifted completely off the ground.
"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" Buck grunted as she fought against him to try to get back at the woman who was scrambling up from the sidewalk. When she was on her feet she made a lunge for Carol, even though Carol was still at least a foot off the ground.
Carol seen her coming and tried to kick her although Buck was smart enough to start moving her back from the woman.
Beth had apparently had enough then. She stormed straight up to the woman, blocking her from getting any closer to Carol. "Don't you touch her while she can't fight back." Beth bit out angrily.
"You best get the fuck outta my..."
There was a collective intake of breath and then silence as little Beth Greene, the quiet farmers daughter, the shy and sweet girl that was quick to smile and never judged him, hauled off and hit the woman square between the eyes.
The woman reeled backwards a bit, like maybe she had been knocked a little stupid. She didn't go after Beth, who was watching her calmly.
"There's perks to bein' the baby in the family. You learn real quick not to take any crap." She muttered as she looked up at Merle who was gaping.
"What the hells going on here?" Rick asked as he finally broke through the crowd.
Carol had calmed down enough so Buck could put her on her feet. Daryl was finally able to get to her then. He tilted her head so he could see the angry red spot under her eye. It was going to be a hell of a shiner by tomorrow.
"She started it." Carol said, raising her chin and glaring at Rick.
Shane, apparently unable to see past the humor of the situation, was having a very difficult time holding in his laughter. He erupted, causing a lot of the crowd to jump in surprise. Rick glared at him as he struggled himself to hold it together.
"Okay, everyone break it up. There isn't anything to see here anymore. It's all over. Enjoy the rest of your morning." Rick said to the crowd still gathered around. Most of them did start to scatter. When the woman tried to make her way past them Rick grabbed her by the arm and shook her head. "Not you." He said with a shake of his head.
Merle happened to look at Daryl then, and he found what he expected. Daryl was glaring at him like this was somehow all his fault. Like he could control the boys wild ass woman. He glared right back.
They waited there until everyone dispersed and Shane was actually able to speak. Lori and Andrea had hung around, off to the side in their own little huddle.
"Okay, does any of you feel the need to press any charges against the other? Should we call in the law?" Shane asked.
Carol shook her head, as did the other woman.
Rick finally gave her the okay to go ahead and go. When it was only the nine of them left standing there Rick was finally able to laugh. "I never thought I would ever see the day." He shook his head.
Carol still looked like she could rip someone in half. It was actually pretty cute. Beth was still the epitome of calm as she picked up the bag Carol had tossed down and peeked inside before handing it over to her. Carol took it and then sighed. "Can we just go the hell home now?" She asked as she looked at Buck, who shrugged.
"Beth?" They all turned at the sound of a female voice behind them.
"Hi Maggie." Beth smiled.
Maggie Greene was standing there, holding hands with the Chinese kid Merle had seen several times that lived across the street. She eyed everyone around her suspiciously but when her eyes landed on Merle they turned downright cold. "You need to keep away from my sister." She glared.
"Maggie!" Beth hissed as she shot Merle an apologetic look.
"What'd daddy say, Beth?" Maggie asked as her eyes met her sisters.
"Up until the other day he always said don't judge lest ye be judged." Beth snapped.
Maggie ignored that. "We need to go."
"I'll go when I'm ready, Maggie. I'm not fightin' over this anymore. I can be friends with whoever I want to be friends with."
Maggie let out a heavy breath and her face softened. "Daddy's at the hospital. We need to go." Beth's eyes went impossibly wide but Maggie held up a hand before she could say anything. "He's okay. He took a fall and his leg is broken. They had to reset it. He'll be in there a few days."
"I gotta go. Sorry about... well, sorry about what happened. Maybe I'll see y'all later." She said as she hurried off with her sister.
Merle watched her go before he turned around towards the others. He wasn't in the mood for Daryl's shit so he looked right at Carol. "You ready to go?" He asked gruffly.
"Ain't you two gonna tell us what the hell just happened?" Daryl barked as he crossed his arms.
"She got in a goddamn fight. I thought you was more observant than that." He snapped.
Daryl scowled at him. "She can ride with us."
Merle just shrugged and walked to his bike alone. He was fine with that. He was starting to feel like shit. He wasn't stupid. He knew that the girls daddy wasn't gonna be too happy about her spending any time with him. He'd seen that much when he'd taken her home and Hershel and Maggie had been sitting on the porch. If looks could kill he'd have been a dead man. But Beth had simply smiled at him and thanked him for the ride. But of course she had caught hell over him as soon as he had pulled away.
He was pissed off at himself for even giving a fuck what they thought about him. Everybody thought that way about him. They always had. But this was different for some reason. Maybe it was because this was the most sober he had been in years. It's hard to care what people thought about you when you were all fucked up. She seemed like a stubborn one but it was hard to ignore people whispering in your ear. How long would it take that uppity sister of hers and her daddy to convince her that he wasn't any good. Hell, he really wasn't any good so it probably wouldn't take them long.
He mounted his bike and sped off without a backward glance at the rest of them. Being mostly sober was starting to be a real pain in the fucking ass.
~H~
Carol couldn't believe she had done that. She was still riding out an incredible adrenalin high. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing and she didn't even feel the pain in her hand anymore. Buck and Daryl had her smashed between them. Daryl looked mad and Buck looked... she wasn't even sure. She didn't like the look on his face and she was hoping that her new found love for sticking up for herself wasn't somehow the cause of that look. He looked like a haunted man.
She glanced at Daryl. He was glaring at her. "What the fuck were ya thinkin'? Have ya ever even been in a fight before? Look at your goddamn hand! Ya don't punch people in the forehead, Carol! That's just common sense!"
He was totally killing her buzz. "I didn't have a choice."
"Cause she started it, right?" He shook his head.
"What is your problem?" She asked angrily. "The crazy lady shoved me. What did you expect me to do? Thank her and go on with my morning?"
He shot her an exasperated look. "You could have let Merle handle it."
"Why? Because I'm such a pansy that I can't even try to stick up for myself?" She was getting angry.
He gingerly picked her hand up from where it rested on her lap. "You know you probably cracked a knuckle on that whores head, right? How good is your medical insurance? Cause if you ain't got any, and I'm guessin' you don't, then that's gonna come right outta our pocket."
She blinked, only really catching his last words. Our pocket. It was probably the sweetest thing she had ever heard him say. Of course he hadn't even realized that he had said it like that. But it kind of melted her heart a little. Things weren't just her problem anymore. Things were their problem. She reached up and kissed his jaw lightly. "You are the sweetest man I've ever met." She smiled.
He frowned. "Are you and Merle high or somethin'?" he shook his head and then looked out the side mirror but she saw his lips twitch like he had to force back a smile.
"We'll ice it when we get home. And I think we need to teach you how to fight, baby girl. That was pretty sad to watch." Buck said as he pulled into the driveway. Merle was there already but he was simply straddling his bike and gazing towards the porch.
"What the fuck..." Daryl breathed as he followed his brothers gaze.
"What's she doing here?" Carol frowned and then when she finally looked at Buck she became worried. He was pale as a sheet, his hands clutching the steering wheel so hard she was sure she could hear it creaking in protest. She quickly glanced at Daryl. His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the porch in shock.
"That's Jenna. I met her in town just a bit ago." She said, confusion clear in her words.
It was as though she hadn't spoken a word. They continued to stare at the woman. When she stood up from the top step she smiled. She didn't even glance towards Merle.
Buck turned his head back so he was looking straight ahead. Carol followed his eyes and as soon as Jenna walked past Merle she saw Merle's head drop slightly. What the hell was happening? Jenna stepped around the truck and then came right to the passenger door. The window was down.
"You gonna get out and say hello?" She asked Daryl.
Carol felt her stomach sinking. Especially when she really got a good look at the woman. She still looked young but it was obvious who this was. The eyes brought it all together. She'd seen an older picture of her when they were moving Merle and Daryl out of that little apartment.
Daryl opened the truck door and got out slowly. Jenna hugged him but his arms stayed slack. He looked like he was in shock. She pulled away but kept her hand on his shoulder as she pushed some of his hair out of his eyes. He just stared at her.
Carol looked at Buck. His breathing was heavy but he still stared straight ahead. His mouth was set in a grim line. Suddenly he flung the door open, grabbed her good hand without even looking and nearly dragged her out of the truck. He kept a solid grip on her hand as he stormed towards the house, she hurried to meet his strides. Merle climbed off the bike and with one lingering look at the woman behind them he followed.
Buck didn't let go of her hand when they got to the house either. It was starting to hurt. Merle shut the door slowly, his expression stunned, his eyes filled with pain. "We need to get some ice on that hand. Maybe that eye too." Buck grumbled as he led her to the kitchen.
He had her sit on one of the bar stools while he went to the freezer.
"Are either of you going to tell me what the hell is going on? Is that..." Carol wasn't able to finish her sentence before Buck spun around.
"That's Daryl's mama. And you keep the fuck away from the bitch, you hear me. I don't want you anywhere near her. She's a goddamn monster. You understand what the fuck I'm telling you?" He bit out angrily.
Carol nodded, too afraid to ask anything else. Merle stayed standing by the doorway, his eyes distant, lost in thought. She had always just assumed that their mother was dead. Daryl had been quick to change the subject of her the one time she was brought up. Now she knew where she had seen that ring. She was wearing it in the photo she had seen.
Buck slammed the bag of ice onto the granite so hard that Carol nearly jumped off of her stool. He ripped open a drawer and pulled out two sandwich bags.
"She looks too young to be their mama." She said hesitantly.
He looked up at her as he filled the baggies. "Cause the fuckin' devil don't age." He growled.
"She was sixteen when I was born. She's forty eight. She's probably had herself some work done. She's a vain bitch." Merle spat angrily.
Buck nodded in agreement.
"Where has she been? What do you think she's doing here?"Carol asked as Buck came around and sat on the other side of her. He pulled her injured hand closer and then put a dish cloth over her knuckles before adding the makeshift ice pack.
"No idea." Merle answered the question when it was clear that Buck wasn't going too. "I thought she was dead. Shoulda known I couldn't be that lucky."
"What does she want?" Carol asked again.
Buck looked up then, his eyes growing soft with what looked like pity before he looked down once more.
"She's here for my brother." Merle answered.
~H~
Daryl stared at her like she was a mirage. This couldn't be happening. Not right now. Not when he finally had everything he had ever wanted. She couldn't be here. But there was a part of him, that stupid boy that lived inside his head, the one that refused to look at things rationally, was happy she was here. She'd left him before but she had always loved him. She was the only one that had. Other than Merle of course and maybe...
"Where's your head at, baby boy?" She asked as she smoothed his hair back once more.
He finally found the good sense to jerk away from her, taking a few steps back. "What the fuck are you doin' here?" He asked, his voice low.
She didn't seem fazed by his tone or his actions. "I'm here for you." She smiled.
He shook his head. "You fuckin' told him! You called him up and you told him that you was takin' me. Why the fuck would you do that?"
She kept her expression neutral. "You don't hold a grudge. I can tell by the way you and that son of a bitch are a happy little family now. Along with that girl of yours and your junkie brother. What? No room for mama? I told him I was taking you because I thought he had the right to know. Unfortunately a DNA test proved that years ago."
"You never fuckin' showed. He almost killed me and you never even fuckin' showed up." He was trying to keep himself calm but it was hard. Telling Buck about what had happened had opened those wounds right back up and then he comes home to find her on his fucking porch. He had to be dreaming. He had to be. "I thought he'd killed you. This whole time I thought you was dead."
"But he can be the one to almost kill you and your standing here giving me grief for not showing up? You're smarter than that. You know exactly who he is, don't let yourself get sucked into his shit, Daryl. You're like me. You're way to smart for that."
He looked at her and shook his head. Fighting back that part of himself that wanted nothing more than for her to be here and to be real. "I ain't nothin' like you."
She just smiled. "So what? You meet a girl, fall in love, move into the suburbs and think that can make you a different man? It wont. You were just as willing as I was to leave your brother. You'd have walked away that day just like I did. Buck threatened to kill me if I tried to take you with me."
"If you'd have stuck around you woulda learned that he couldn't have hurt you. He was arrested that day. He wasn't around. And neither was you."
She crossed her arms and leaned against the truck. "I'm here now."
"I don't need you now." He spat. "I needed you then, we both did."
"You're really going to let Buck Dixon walk back into your life, fresh out of prison, and welcome him here with open arms? While shunning me? I've never laid a finger on you. I protected you from him."
"When you were there. But you were only around every now and then. I don't fuckin' need this shit. Merle and Carol don't need this shit."
"Carol." Jenna finally showed a little emotion at that. "She the one got your head all fucked up? I'm you're blood. Don't forget that. Don't let that little girl fill your head full of shit either, Daryl. She'd drop every one of you a lot faster than I ever did. She needs you here. That's all this is. I'm your family. Not her."
Daryl shook his head but Jenna was smiling again. The seed was planted. She knew him. She knew how hard it was for him to trust anyone. He knew that Carol wasn't like that. Was she? "You need to go." He muttered as he backed up one more step.
She shook her head. "You're gonna see, Daryl. Every one of them are going to let you down and when they do I'll be around. I know how long you've been here. There hasn't been enough time but eventually it'll happen. That's just life. That little girl will be fucking your brother in a month. And when she does, I'll be around. I'm sticking around for this one."
He glared at her as he backed up one more step. He didn't turn around until she did. He watched her walk away, to the SUV parked on the curb across the street from over his shoulder. He made his way up the steps slowly, feeling beaten down. He should have known that things couldn't be easy for him. Ever.
When he came in Merle and Carol had just entered the foyer. Buck was nowhere to be seen. They were both looking at him worriedly. He studied her for a few long moments before he looked away. When his eyes met Merle's he nearly flinched. Merle was on the verge of breaking down. Not in the normal way a man would break down. They were going to have to keep a close eye on him now. Daryl knew that look. Merle was wanting the drugs. He hadn't seen that want in his eyes for a while but right now it was eating him up.
"You okay?" Carol finally asked, drawing his tired gaze back to her. Her eyes were still the wide honest eyes she had always looked at him with but she, much like Merle, looked different somehow. She almost looked afraid.
He nodded and then watched as her and Merle shared a look.
"Buck's in the garage. Guess I'm gonna go help him." Merle said as he turned and walked away.
Daryl watched him go and then headed for the stairs. He needed to think about everything that had happened. But he didn't really want too. Not right now. He was still too shocked to even really process what had happened. He had never thought he would see her again. He had mourned her. She was gone and he had accepted that.
"Daryl." Carol whispered as he opened the bedroom door. She was getting good. He never even heard her behind him.
"What?" He asked as he went into the room. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She looked concerned. Afraid. He didn't know why. She wasn't the one with anything to worry about. He was.
"Are you thinking about leaving?" She finally asked.
He shook his head and looked away. "You ain't plannin' on fuckin' Merle, are ya?"
He heard her this time. She didn't cross the room lightly. "Why would you ask me that?" She asked, surprising him by sounding more hurt than angry. He could handle her anger. He couldn't handle hurting her.
He sighed. "Sorry."
"Did she say that that was going to happen?" She asked, forcing him to look at her.
He blew out a breath and met her eyes. Anger. He could deal with this. "She says a lot. I don't want you anywhere near her."
She reached up then, with her good hand, and placed it on the side of his face. "She can go to hell. Buck has let you down. Merle, he's let you down. From what little I know of her, she has too. I'm not them. I'm never going to be them."
He wasn't sure what to say to that. He just stared at her for a long time. Eventually she smiled, but it was a sad smile.
"How many times am I going to have to tell you that I'm not going anywhere?"
Still he could only look at her. She must have gotten sick of his silence because she pulled his face towards hers and kissed him lightly. "Tell me you aren't going anywhere." She demanded when she broke the kiss.
He rested his hands on her hips, feeling some of that confusion and anxiety ebb. "I ain't gonna go nowhere." He finally said.
"No matter what she says, you wont leave me?" She asked, emotion thick in her voice.
When she said it like that it made the declaration much different somehow. She knew it too and he couldn't help but wonder how afraid she might have to be to ask him something like that. That one little word tacked onto the end of that question gave it much more power. The last thing that she needed to worry about was him ever leaving her.
Jenna may have been right about him when she said that he was like her. When she said that he had been just as willing to leave Merle as she had been. And he had been. But Jenna was very wrong if she thought for a second that he'd ever, in a million years, walk away from Carol. He pulled her until there was no space left between them.
"Ain't nothin' that woman could say that would make me even think about leavin' you." His voice was barely there but he knew she heard him. He didn't like putting his emotions on his sleeve. He didn't feel comfortable saying things like that. But he was glad he had. There was a subtle shift in the atmosphere of the room that went along with the subtle shift in this strange relationship they shared. He never took his eyes off hers as she nodded sagely. She could feel it too.
In the words of Merle Dixon. Shit just got real.
A few of you... or several of you ;) have asked for more smut and I swear I'll get to it but I couldn't fit it in here. Keep reading! I'll deliver eventually =)
