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Thanks to DarylDixon'sLover, Brazen Hussy, SeverusSnape'sLove, Micaela Beth Winchester, jessegdixon, Emberka-2012, FanFicGirl10, Smittendebs and Annelisa.
Chapter 38.
Shane's body had been wrapped up in an old bed sheet and placed in the barn until a proper burial could take place in the morning. Tyreese, Daryl, Martinez and Merle had decided to spend the night patrolling the farm. The only ones allowed out of the farm house were Hershel and Patricia to check the sick. Merle had made sure the couple had a chaperone to walk them from the house to the trailers and back again. He wasn't risking anyone else.
Patricia and Hershel had just finished checking on Carol. The woman seemed to be over the worst of the sickness now. All the patients were.
Patricia stood at the kitchen sink in one of the trailers. She looked out of the window into the darkness. She noticed Merle's outline walk past the trailer for a third time. "You know it's strange." Patricia watched as Merle stopped and tilted his head listening to something.
"What is?" Hershel asked.
"Merle Dixon. Every time we move to another trailer he seems to patrol right outside." Merle's muttered voice could be heard exchanging conversation with Omid, who had been the couple's escort for the short trip.
Hershel didn't say anything; he knew why Merle was being protective. He was doing it for Beth. The Greene's were a close knit family and Merle knew the loss of anymore relatives could tip Beth over the edge, so the best way to look after the youngest Greene was to protect her kin.
Hershel and Patricia left Carol to her sleep, they quietly exited the trailer. Merle gave the old farmer a small nod, which Hershel returned. Maybe Merle Dixon was a good choice for his Bethy; no harm would come to her with the large man around.
"Ready?" Omid asked as he started to lead the couple across the dark farmyard.
Daryl stopped Hershel before he could reach the house. "How's Rick doin'?" Daryl asked.
"Well he's lucky, there wasn't too much damage. He won't be able to do a lot until the stitches come out."
Daryl placed one hand on his hip; the other kept a firm grasp on his crossbow. "Did ya tell him about the letter?"
"No, I thought it best to wait until morning. He's been through enough tonight." When Rick had been brought to Hershel he had been in a bad way. The arrow had speared his shoulder. It hadn't past through, it had just became wedge in the man's body. When Rick fell he had snapped the arrow in half, something Hershel didn't discover until he attempted to remove it.
Daryl nodded in agreement. He knew even though Rick had no hand in Shane's death he'd still blame himself, Rick was that sort of man. "Bug doin' alright?"
"She's with Beth, they're both using Patricia's room for the night since Omid, Christa and Clementine have taken your old room." Hershel placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "Don't worry she's safe."
Daryl gave a grateful look to Hershel. He'd had often wondered what would become of Hope if he and Merle were no longer around, and now he knew. His little girl would be just fine. The group would help raise and protect her. Hope would survive with or without them.
Daryl let Hershel enter the house and he returned back to a long night of keeping watch over his family.
Morning seemed to arrive at a slow pace. As soon as it was light out Glenn and T-Dogg started work on Shane's grave. The group had decided a ceremony would be held at midday for their fallen companion.
Omid, Tyreese and Sasha took over the watch duty from the Dixon boys and Martinez.
After Daryl had checked on Hope he went to see Rick. Lori sat at Rick's bedside with a tear stained face. He didn't know if the tears were from the shock of almost losing her husband, or from losing her lover. Daryl didn't much care; he had bigger fish to fry.
Rick sat up in bed; the man looked in a bad way. His face was pale, his skin looked clammy and a large bandage had been wrapped around his shoulder, back and chest.
"How you doin'?" Daryl asked.
"Not bad." Rick lied. "Lori told me about the letter."
Daryl frowned at Lori. Hershel had made his thoughts clear, Rick should have been left to rest. But as always Lori felt she knew better and had to run straight to Rick.
"What do you wanna do?" Daryl asked as he started chewing his nails.
Rick groaned in pain as he moved his body. "We need to come up with a plan. We need a group meeting."
"You're in no state." Lori snapped. "Let the others handle it Rick."
Daryl agreed with Lori. There was no way Rick could deal with the threat when he was injured. The man could barley sit up straight.
"I'll talk to the others." Daryl offered. "See what we can come up with."
Rick gave a weak smile. "Thank you Daryl."
Daryl gave a small shrug. "No problem. I betta go, I want to make sure there's no damage to the fence."
Lori followed Daryl out of the room. "Daryl can we talk."
"Sure."
"It's about Carl. He wanted to find the people responsible for this and kill them." Tears started to fill Lori's eyes. "Can you please talk to him?" She didn't want to see her child become a cold blooded killer. He was just a young boy.
Daryl felt uncomfortable with the responsibility Lori was placing on him. "Ain't there someone else? What about Ty?"
Lori grabbed Daryl's hands; she had a frantic look in her eyes. "He respects you Daryl. Please, I lost a close friend and I nearly lost my husband. I don't want to lose my son too."
Daryl couldn't say no. He would never forgive himself if Carl did something stupid and put himself in danger. "Sure, I'll talk to him. Don't know what good it'll do though."
"Thank you." Lori sounded relieved. "Thank you."
Merle had been sitting on the floor watching Hope colour in one of her colouring books, when he did something that could be considered as both stupid and dangerous. He fell asleep. His back was leaning against the sofa keeping his body upright, small snores escaped him every so often.
At first Hope had been annoyed that her Mine had stop praising her for her artwork. She walked over to him with her green felt tipped pen and poked Merle in the face. Merle just released a grunt but didn't wake.
Hope laughed at Merle's noise. "Oink Oink." She giggled. Hope then noticed her pen had left a green mark on her Mine's face. She stood next to Merle and drew a line on his cheek. "Pretty Mine." She giggled.
Hope picked up a red pen and started drawing over Merle's nose. Soon Merle's face was a rainbow of colours.
Beth walked into the living room. She had become suspicious when Hope had become silent and now she knew why. Hope had made Merle into walking art.
"Hope no." Beth rushed forward; she took the pen from Hope's hand.
"Pretty." Hope pointed at a sleeping Merle.
The sound of Daryl's footsteps entered the room. "What the hell?" He gave a snort like laugh at his newly decorated brother.
"Dada, Mine bootiful." Hope blew kisses at Merle.
Daryl tried to hold back another snort of laughter. "He slept through that?"
"He's exhausted. I'll go grab a damp cloth to clean him up." Beth disappeared back into the kitchen.
Daryl picked up the black pen. He walked over to Merle and softly drew cat whiskers on Merle's cheeks; he added a little black nose to finish off cat Merle.
"Miaow." Hope squealed. Merle snorted and Daryl made a quick escape out of the front door.
Daryl stood on the porch surveying the farm. Glenn and T-Dogg were taking a break from digging Shane's grave. He watched Sasha walking around near the stables, Sophia was by her side. He noticed that today Sasha had opted to wear a pair of denim shorts. He watched her long toned legs stroll slowly past the barn. His eyes travel up from her legs to her butt; he seemed to be transfixed by the movement of her hips as she walked.
"Why are you staring at Sasha?" Carl's voice made Daryl jump. He felt like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't. Carl was sitting on the porch chair; he had been watching Glenn and T-Dogg work.
"I wasn't." Daryl lied.
Carl squinted from beneath his father's hat. "Liar."
"You okay?" Daryl asked the young boy.
"What do you care?" Carl bit back.
Daryl narrowed his eyes. He tried to remind himself of what Carl was going through. "I just do." Daryl muttered.
Carl scoffed. "Lair. You don't care. I heard mom asking you to talk to me. You don't even want to talk to me."
Daryl crossed his arms. "You're right I don't." Daryl replied. "I don't want to do this." Daryl looked over at Glenn and T-Dogg. "C'mon."
Daryl walked towards the two men with Carl trailing slowly behind.
"Hey Glenn, T why don't you two take a break." The two men looked up at Daryl. "Me and Carl have got this covered."
Glenn was just about to say they had just taken a break when Daryl gave him a look that warned him not to.
"Sure." Glenn handed Daryl his shovel. "I want to make sure Chris is okay anyway, he's been a bit crabby."
T-Dogg gave Daryl his shovel to. "I'll go make sure the fencing is all secured." Both men walked away.
Daryl handed Carl a shovel. "What's this for?" Carl grumbled moodily.
"Baking a cake." Daryl shot back sarcastically. "Dig." He ordered.
Carl dug his shovel into the ground and left it standing up in the dirt. "Why? Those people that killed Shane and hurt my dad are out there. How's digging a stupid hole going to help?" Carl yelled in anger.
Daryl moved forwards, his face was pushed close to Carl's. "Digging this stupid hole will help because Shane needs to be buried. The group need to gather around this grave side to say goodbye." Daryl shoved the shovel back into Carl's hand. "Your mom and dad need this done."
Carl huffed he started to dig. Daryl joined him.
The digging started in silence; the only sound was dirt on metal. Carl took all his anger out on the ground; he stabbed the dirt with his shovel. Daryl looked over his shoulder at the angry boy.
"Y'know Merle nearly died once." Daryl noticed Carl's digging slow down. "Was the worst feeling in the world."
Carl turned his head in Daryl's direction. "Was it drugs?" Carl asked quietly. Shane had always said Merle was a drug dealer.
"No." Daryl carried on digging. "I was at home when the police came knocking. I thought Merle had just been up to his usual shit. Police told me that he'd been ridin' his bike and got hit by a drunk driver."
Carl turned to face Daryl, he had stopped digging now. "What happened?"
Daryl had never told anyone the story before; he never wanted to relive it again. "Merle was laid up in a hospital bed, tubes comin' out of him. They didn't know if he was gonna make it." Daryl sniffed. "The drunk driver just had a few scratches."
"Did you ever see the driver?" Carl asked.
Daryl nodded. "I waited for him one night outside the local bar. We got into a fight, broke his jaw." Daryl sighed. "Didn't change the fact that Merle was still in hospital and it didn't make me feel any better."
Carl started to dig again. "Well I'd feel better if I could kill the people who did this."
"What do you think will happen if we go in there with guns blazin'?" Daryl asked. Carl shrugged. "I tell ya what's gonna happen. The rest of their group will come knockin', and next time it could be a hell of a lot worse."
Carl threw his shovel down. "So what, we just roll over and let them take our stuff?"
"No, we play it smart. Come up with a plan and stop these bastards. Now you can help, or you can run 'round thinkin' you can deal with this on you own, and if you do that, you'll probably end up dead. How do you think your mom and dad will feel about that?" Daryl pointed to the shovel. "Now dig." Daryl ordered.
Carl picked up his shovel and started to dig. As he dug Carl found his anger being replaced with aching muscles and sweat. He started to concentrate on the hole he was digging, and that's when it hit him. This hole was for Shane. He would never see Shane again; never get to talk to him. Shane was dead. All the anger slipped away and immense sadness took over. Carl wanted to cry but he remembered Shane telling him once, men don't cry.
"It's done." Daryl patted Carl on the back.
Both men pulled themselves out of the hole and sat on the edge.
Daryl looked into the hole. "Y'know, you and me can carry Shane's body down if you want." He started to chew his nails waiting for Carl's reply.
Carl rubbed his eyes with the back of one of his hands. Carrying Shane to his final resting place would be like a final mark of respect. Carl knew his father would have done it if he wasn't injured.
"I'd like that." Carl replied. "Daryl." Carl looked over at the dirty man sitting next to him. "Will you make sure they pay for this?"
Daryl looked at Carl. The boy had a coldness in his eyes. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to tell Carl, so he just told him the truth. "When the time is right, we'll take care of them." Daryl promised.
The group had gathered by Shane's graveside. Even Rick had made it to the sombre occasion. Beth had brought a chair from the farmhouse so Rick could sit down if he needed too. The injured man had fought with Lori to attend the funeral. He had to be helped to the graveside by Daryl and Tyreese.
Hershel stood at the head of the grave he had just recited a passage from the bible. "Would anyone like to say a few words?" Hershel offered the group.
"I would." Rick spoke up. "Shane and I, we were friends since kindergarten. The first time I ever met him he was loud and impulsive, that's something that never changed. He kept my family safe when I couldn't and despite our differences he was still my friend. I'm sorry that I couldn't save him." Rick looked at the grave, he was truly sorry he couldn't save his friend. He would always regret the last thing he had said to his friend was that he should leave the farm. Rick's body started to tremble. He had wanted Shane gone and now he was. He blamed himself for his friend's death. Rick sat down in the chair, he felt exhausted.
"Shane was a good man." T-Dogg spoke. "I remember meeting him at the quarry. He always made sure everyone was safe and fed. He'll be missed."
The group took it in turns to place a flower on the grave and say their goodbyes. Lori broke down in tears as Hershel led the group in a final prayer for the departed Shane.
Merle was the first person to leave. He didn't care for funerals, and after Hope's art attack he wasn't in the best of moods. He made his way back to the farmhouse and waited for the others to arrive. They needed to make a plan if they were going to stop the new danger that threatened them.
The group had all finally gathered in the farmhouse. They all managed to squeeze around the dining table waiting for the meeting to start.
"So what are we going to do about this?" Christa asked. Despite being heavily pregnant the woman was still incredibly fiery and active.
Merle was the one to answer and the answer shocked everyone. "We give them our stuff."
Andrea let out a large cough. "You're kidding right? We just give in?"
Glenn tapped his fingers against the table. "I never thought you were a coward." He muttered.
Merle banged his metal stump against the table making Glenn regret saying the words out loud. "I ain't no chicken." He snarled. "Listen, they don't know how much stuff we got. So we go with a small amount. We meet these fuckers and find out who they are."
Martinez smirked. "Then we find out where they're from."
"And take them all down." Daryl finished the sentence. Merle nodded.
"What if they kill you when you give them our supplies?" A worried Sasha asked.
Rick sighed. "It's a risk we have to take. I'll go."
"If you're going so am I." Carl added.
"No!" Lori yelled. "Rick you're not well enough and I'm not risking you Carl."
"I'll go." Merle answered. "I'll take Martinez."
"You ain't goin' without me." Daryl wasn't going to let Merle head into the unknown alone.
"And me." Milton added. "I want to take notes. This group needs to be documented."
Merle nodded. "That's it, no more." He stood up from the table. "Now I'm gonna get a few hours sleep."
Merle had been sleeping peacefully when he felt someone slip into bed beside him. He knew it was Beth, he could tell the young girl just by her scent now.
Merle rolled over and opened his eyes. "Hey there girl."
Beth was lying on her side; she was looking deep into Merle's eyes. "Why are you going?" Beth asked. "What if they do kill you, why risk it?"
Merle frowned; he placed his hand on Beth's hip. "Someone's gotta go. Besides they ain't gonna kill us."
Beth stretched out her arm; she played with Merle's tight curls. She tried imagining him with longer hair. She wondered if he would have the same unmanageable hair as Hope."How do you know?" She whispered.
Merle sighed. "They only want half our supplies. If they wanted us dead the group would have broken in slaughtered us all and taken our stuff." Merle yawned. "I'll bet ya a penny and a fiddle of gold they'll keep us around and want us to keep supplyin' them with stuff."
Beth pushed her body close to Merle's. "I hope you're right, I can't lose you."
Merle moved his hand from Beth's hip to her back; he slowly rubbed her in a soothing manner.
"Hey, is that my shirt?" Merle noticed Beth was wearing one of his wifebeaters.
Beth pulled away. "I borrowed it when you were ill. It smells like you. I hope you're not mad."
Merle sat up. "Let me see you in it."
He started to pull the covers back.
Beth rolled onto her back as the bedcovers were striped away from her body. Merle stared at his woman lying on the soft mattress. Her golden curls fanned out on the pillow, her delicate body was lost in his large shirt. Her little white dainty legs poked out from under the oversized garment.
"You can have it back if you want." Beth wasn't sure if Merle's silence was a good or bad thing.
"Looks better on you." Merle ran his hand up Beth's thigh, without warning his fingers entered her. Beth squealed in surprise. It was at times like this Merle wished he had two hands. He watched Beth's face as she moaned his name in pleasure. Her eyes closed and her hands balled up the sheets beneath her. She was beautiful. Merle felt himself hardening under the sheets.
"Merle." Beth gasped as he continued his assault with his skilful fingers.
Merle smirked as he watched Beth's body twitch. Her eyes flew open and her body gave up. She lay on the bed panting as Merle withdrew his fingers.
"Y'know Peach. It's dangerous for you to sleep in that." Beth watched as he sucked his fingers dry. She blushed. It didn't matter how long she was his lover, Merle could still make her blush. "'Cause I like to sleep nude and that's just gonna land you in trouble." Merle moved from under the sheets revealing The General, who was standing to attention and ready for action.
Beth sat up rather abruptly her lips collided with Merle's, her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him down on top of her.
Merle was enjoying Beth's new found forwardness. He wasted no time in entering her. She whined in pleasure. Merle nuzzled into Beth's shoulder as he pumped inside her. The strap of the old wifebeater slid from Beth's shoulder revealing her creamy white skin. Merle started sucking and biting the bare skin like a hungry animal. He was going to give Beth another first, her first love bite. He felt Beth lose control beneath him; she cried his name out loud as she came. Merle gave a few more thrusts and joined Beth in a haze of blissful pleasure.
Merle rolled off Beth, he naturally stretched out his arm letting Beth curl into his side. "I love you Merle." Beth kissed his chest.
Merle kissed the top of Beth's head. "You too." He replied sleepily.
Beth fell asleep with a smile on her face, "you too" that was as good as those three small words Beth thought.
The next day was filled with the group deciding exactly how much of their supplies they should give away. Rick stood on the porch watching the men start to load the car. He felt useless.
Rick hadn't slept well; his night was filled with nightmares of Shane. His dead friend haunted his dreams telling Rick that he was at fault for his death, and Lori would never love Rick as much as she loved him. The image of Shane's speared torso falling to the floor replayed every time Rick closed his eyes.
"Everythin's set." Daryl said as he approached the group leader. Daryl instantly noticed the dark rings around Rick's eyes. "You okay?"
Rick used his good hand up gently rub his damaged shoulder. "I just wish I was going with you." He gave a tired sigh. "You lot elected me leader, I should be there."
Daryl frowned as he leant against the porch railings. "You're hurt, ain't your fault. Besides if anythin' should happen to me and Merle, Hope will need someone to look after her."
Rick gave Daryl a light smile. He knew the hunter was just trying to make him feel better. "Thank you."
Daryl gave Rick a nod. "Right I gotta go. Merle and I are gonna take Hope swimmin' in the pond."
Rick raised an eyebrow. "Is that safe?" Rick had never seen anyone swim in the old pond. It wasn't exactly the best place to learn to swim.
Daryl shrugged. "She'll be fine. I saw a rubber ring 'round here somewhere. We'll just pop her in that and drag her around."
Daryl disappeared into the house to get gather all the supplies he'd need for the day. Rick looked back out to the yard. He scratched his stubble as a chilling thought crossed his mind. The attack had been well timed and well planned. It was almost as if the group knew when to strike. As Rick watched each member of the group start their daily routine, he found himself wondering. Was a traitor amongst them? And if there was, had Shane been right, had a trusting Rick let a dangerous person into the group and put them all in danger?