Walk With An Angel
Chapter 53: Brothers Bond
Merle had tried to talk Daryl out of going to the jail and talking to Len. Daryl had a score to settle and he was one stubborn redneck.
"Rick done told ya he won't let ya see Len. C'mon, Darlene. Yer big brothers got this." Merle pushed Daryl into Martinez's truck, making Daryl glare at him.
"What good is this gonna do? Joe is a piece of shit like his brother." Daryl climbed in the truck and slammed the door shut.
"Just let me handle this." Merle barked from the backseat, making Daryl want to punch him.
Martinez drove until they came upon an old shack. The dilapidated fence and various rusted cars around it gave it that white trash feel. Daryl tensed up when he saw an older looking man, maybe early fifties, sitting on the porch.
"That Joe?" Daryl turned to look at Merle, the two of them nodding to each other.
"Been a few years, but that's him." Daryl felt Merle grip the back of his seat as the truck slowed down.
Martinez looked over at Daryl as he pulled a revolver from underneath his truck seat. "I'll let you and Merle handled this, but you just say the word and I'm there."
"Thanks, man. We got this." Daryl opened the truck door and locked eyes with the man walking towards them.
"You boys lost?" Joe shouted out to them as he took a drag off his cigarette.
Merle walked ahead of Daryl, getting up in Joe's face. "Hey, Joe. Long time no see."
"I'll be damned. Merle fucking Dixon. How ya been you old son of a bitch?" Joe gave him a crooked grin as he blew smoke in his face.
"Fine. You hear about Len?" Merle cut right to the chase as Daryl walked up beside him.
"Went and got tossed in county for beatin' on some homo. Yeah, I heard." Merle felt Daryl move beside him and shoved him back.
Daryl's nostrils flared as Merle stared him down. Joe started to laugh, making Daryl push against Merle again.
"I'm gonna stomp yer brother's ass." Daryl shouted as he pointed at Joe.
Joe laughed louder, tossing his head as he did so. "Damn Merle, looks like yer little brother is pissed over his piece of tail gettin' smacked around. Bitch needs to know her place."
Daryl saw red and not even Merle could hold him back. As soon as Daryl hit Joe, Martinez and T-Dog jumped from the truck.
Joe's nose started to bleed as Daryl punched him over and over while Merle and Martinez pulled him off.
"Get yer damn hands off me." Daryl tried to get free from their hold, cursing and thrashing.
"Get off my damn property and if I ever see one of you Dixon's again... yer dead." Joe climbed from the dirt, wiping the blood from his face.
Merle let go of Daryl and stomped up to Joe. "Touch my sister in law or my baby brother and I'll end you, asshole."
Joe smirked as blood covered his mouth as it dripped from his nose. Merle didn't flinch, his eyes shooting daggers back at the smug man before him.
"Get going." Joe yelled back as he walked to the house.
Daryl shook free from Martinez as he paced back and forth by the truck.
"I told ya talkin' wouldn't work. They only understand one fuckin' thang, fightin'. If they want a fight, by god I'll give him one." Blood ran down his hand and dripped from his arm as he climbed in the truck.
Merle took his bandana out of his back pocket and handed it to Daryl, his face showing just as much fury as his little brothers.
"You check on Beth and get yer ass over to my place. We're settlin' this as soon as that asshole out of jail. If I know Joe, he'll send their cousin Tony to bail him out." The tension in the truck was a powder keg ready to blow and the ride back to the garage gave them time to make a plan.
Daryl mounted his bike, revving the bike and feeling the soreness in his knuckles. Merle shouted at him as he backed the bike up. He stopped at the edge of the parking lot, seeing Merle smirking.
"Don't tell Carol or Beth what happen. Need to keep this between us." Lying came easy to Merle but it wasn't something Daryl liked to do. Daryl chewed on his lip, knowing he couldn't do that to Beth.
"Nah, I ain't lying to her. She deserves the truth. Don't start... I'm gonna stomp a mud puddle in Len's ass, but fer right now, I don't wanna upset Beth." Merle shook his head as he walked off, mumbling something under his breath.
He tried to think of anything but Joe and Len as he drove to the farm. He didn't want Beth to see that side of him, that side that lost control. Her smile and her need me big blue eyes filled his mind and he felt some of his anger melt away.
She was sitting on the porch when he pulled up and he smiled as she walked out to him. As soon as he saw her slip lip and bruised cheek, his anger returned. Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to push it aside as his girl wrapped her arms around him.
"Baby, what happened to your hand?" She took his battered hand in hers and kissed the bandana wrapped around it.
"Joe's face hit it." He tried to make a joke of it, but the look on Beth's face told him she didn't find it funny.
"Let Rick handle this. Eric pressed charges and so did I. I'm sorry, I should have thought about the babies, but he was gonna hurt Eric." She started to cry and Daryl lost it. He pulled her to him, kissing her over and over as he tasted her tears.
Beth held on to him, trying to calm down. She was beside herself with worry for her unborn children, Eric and Daryl. Things had gone from bad to worse and now that Daryl had gotten in a fight with Len's brother, she was certain more trouble was on its way.
"Let's go home. We'll make dinner, curl up on the couch and watch one of those girly movies you like so much." The smile on her face was the best thing he'd seen all day. Her small hand stroked his face, her soft skin lulling him into this state of bliss.
With her arms around him tight, he headed towards their little cabin in the woods. He went a little slower than usual. Even though the babies were months from being born, he tried not to jolt them or his beauty too much.
Beth got her favorite DVD from the shelf and popped it in. Daryl sat back on the couch, holding her throw in his lap as he waited for her to snuggle in to him. Grease is the word echoed from the TV speakers and Beth blissfully sang along.
With a bowl of popcorn resting on her baby bump, she lay her head on Daryl's legs and tried to stay awake.
The last thing Daryl heard her say was something about being devoted to him. He stroked her bruised cheek tenderly and felt his anger rise inside him again. After he placed the popcorn bowl on the floor, he shifted his body out from under her. Beth stirred awake for a second as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed.
She instantly snuggled up to her pillow and winced when her hand touched her split lip. Len was a dead man walking as soon as Daryl could get his hands on him.
Daryl stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the bed next to his girl. She was still wearing her maternity dress and he didn't have the heart to wake her to take it off.
As he turned off the side lamp, he wrapped himself around her. "Ain't nobody ever gonna hurt ya again." He gently whispered into her ear before drifting off to sleep.
The feel of Beth's soft lips on his bare chest woke him and he opened one, then the other eye to look at her. "Mornin'."
"How about we make it a good morning." She continued to kiss him down his chest and Daryl reached down to cup her cheek. Beth slammed her eyes shut upon the contact and Daryl pulled away from her.
Beth sat up in the bed, looking confused. "What's wrong, Daryl?"
"Nothin'." He rolled off the bed, sitting up on the side. She moved off the bed to come stand in front of him. He looked up to her and all he saw was her red, swollen lip and the purple mark on her once pink cheek.
All he could see were the marks his father used to leave on his face after one too many. He knew the pain involved and what it felt like to see yourself like that. Carrying the marks were nearly as bad as getting them and the looks of pity on people's face only made the matter worse.
"Don't you want to or is it you don't want me?" Beth stared at him with her hands over her belly.
"What?" Daryl looked up at her as she stormed to the other side of the room.
She grabbed some clothes and tossed them on the bed as she began to strip. Daryl watched her peel off her dress, then her underwear as she kept glancing over at him.
"You honestly ain't gonna touch me, are you?" Beth shouted as she stomped off naked towards the bathroom.
Daryl took her hand as she walked by the bed, pulling her to him. "I don't want to hurt ya, Beth."
"Hurt me? She pulled back from him with tears perched in her eyes. "You mean like I almost hurt our babies. That's it. You're pissed because I put our babies in danger. Well, don't worry about it, Dixon. I'm pissed at myself for the both of us."
Beth began to cry as she tried to pull away from him and Daryl wrapped his arms around her. "I ain't mad Beth. I know what it feels like to have a busted lip and bruises. I saw the look on yer face when I touched ya… it ripped my heart out."
The hardness fell from her face as she looked into his deep sad eyes and saw that lost little boy staring back at her. She took his hand and placed it on her bruised cheek. "The day you hurt me Daryl Dixon will be the day the sun ceases to shine. You love me too much, more than you should."
Daryl lifted her up in his arms and placed her back on the bed, needing to just hold her. They lay there like that until the alarm clock started to wail, bringing them both back to the harsh reality they now found themselves in.
A/N: Big trouble is brewing and it would be over any time soon. Thanks for reviewing and giving this fic a follow. Bethyl on!
