Meeting The (Found) Family

As usual, Merle had impeccable timing. Just as Beth's knuckles were making contact with the thin wooden door of the mobile home, he appeared beside her. The knocking was immediately followed by the sound of a dog barking loudly from inside the trailer. Daryl was cursing under his breath and dismounting the motorcycle, begrudgingly walking up to stand at the bottom of the steps.

"The fuck's the hold up here?" Merle asked, already annoyed. He glanced from the door to Daryl and then to Beth. "Thought y'all was headin' back to the farm or somethin'."

Beth shrugged and responded just loud enough for him to hear, "I wanna meet Carol."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Why? Ain't you got enough drama in yer life, sweetcheeks?"

She ignored him and listened to the sounds coming from behind the door: a dog that kept barking, and a woman's voice telling him to hush up and sit down. The barking continued, though. Followed by hurried footsteps approaching the door.

Merle scoffed with aggravation and cursed under his breath about "wastin' time talking to some useless dyke" before promptly disappearing. And then the door opened.

The woman from the picture on Daryl's phone was standing before Beth. She was a few inches taller than Beth and appeared to be near the same age as Daryl, with graying auburn hair that was cut short above her ears. She was dressed in faded jeans and an old, baggy Reba McEntire T-shirt, with gray socks and no shoes—clearly not expecting any visitors. She had a puzzled expression on her face. Then she glanced over Beth's shoulder and saw Daryl standing at the foot of the small wooden stairs, and it seemed to click inside her head. She smiled warmly and gazed down at Beth with soft blue eyes.

But before either of the women could say anything, a full-grown German Shepherd nosed his way past Carol's leg and slipped out the door, giving Beth no more than a brief upwards glance and a quick sniff before rushing straight down the stairs to greet Daryl. Beth looked over her shoulder to see the dog jumping up and placing both front paws on Daryl's chest, nearly knocking him over with excitement.

"Well hi there," Carol greeted, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "I was wondering when I'd finally get to meet you."

Beth smiled back with a surge of confidence. "Same here." She reached out a hand in polite greeting. "I'm Beth Greene—the girl who can see Daryl's dead brother."

Carol's smile turned into a grin and she chuckled. She took Beth's hand, giving it a friendly shake before releasing it. "So I've heard. I'm Carol… the roommate-slash-best friend."

"So I've heard."

Daryl spoke up from the bottom of the stairs. "There, you met 'er. Can I take ya home now?"

Carol immediately scolded him, "Oh Daryl, don't be rude."

Beth turned her head and shot Daryl a gloating smirk from over her shoulder. "Yeah Daryl, don't be rude."

He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed, and turned away to follow after Dog, who was trotting off across the grass and sniffing the ground. "Whatever. Dog's gotta take a shit, I'mma go with 'im."

"Well," Carol said. "I would apologize for him, but I don't think I have to do that with you."

Beth shrugged it off. "You don't. It was my idea to come in an' say hi. He didn't think it was necessary."

"He wasn't raised to be a proper southern lady like us," Carol joked, winking. Then she stepped aside and held the door open. "Come in, please. I was just about to start makin' dinner."

Beth pulled out her phone and glanced at the clock. "Oh," she said, frowning. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so close to dinner time already. I don't wanna interrupt."

"No no, it's fine, really!" Carol insisted cheerily. "Come in, please. I'm just doin' a casserole, it can wait."

"Thank you," Beth obliged. She stepped over the threshold, entering the small trailer and reflexively gazing around while Carol shut the door behind her.

It was a double-wide trailer, which meant it was a bit more spacious and had more bedrooms, but it still had the same basic layout as every other mobile home that ever existed. The living room was in the center, small and square, with the kitchen off to the right, the two rooms separated by a half-wall and a length of countertops. Beige carpet, beige wallpaper, and white linoleum. Off to the left was a narrow hallway that led to four different doors—three bedrooms and a bathroom.

Beth had been inside a few different trailer houses in her life. In fact, she'd had a best friend in third grade who lived in this very trailer park, though they'd moved away before junior high. And all those other trailers had always been a little… run-down. There was always clutter and random clothes strewn about, lots of mismatched furniture shoved in wherever it would fit, an array of mysterious stains on the carpet and linoleum, and a smell that seemed to be a mixture of rotting wood, body odor, and mildew.

But this trailer was different. The outside appearance had already told Beth that someone put excessive care into making this mobile house a home, and the inside only affirmed that inference. The carpet had a lot of random stains, but it was obviously clean and vacuumed, and the furniture all looked to be from the same set. There was a couch and a loveseat and even a recliner, all crowded around a 32-inch flatscreen and a dark wood entertainment center. There was a nice coffee table sitting in the middle, decorated with a potted succulent in the center and a few drink coasters. A fluffy dog bed sat against the wall near the hallway, and it was covered in German Shepherd hair. The kitchen was impeccable, white linoleum nearly sparkling despite its signs of age and wear, and there was a small circular table with four dining chairs sat in the center, as well as a dog's food-and-water dish shoved into the corner. A bit of a tight fit, but it seemed to work. The smell that filled the home was nothing less than pleasant and inviting—like a mixture of cinnamon, citrus fruits, and freshly-brewed coffee.

The details that caught Beth's attention had nothing to do with cleanliness or matching furniture, though. Her eyes were lingering over the various framed photos hung on the walls and sitting atop the surfaces of bookcases and DVD racks. Pictures of Carol and her daughter in different locations; a few pictures of Carol and Daryl, and a few more of all three of them; a handful of pictures containing Carol and what could only be her family, as well as some that were just her daughter in various stages of life. And one photo of Daryl and Merle.

Admittedly, it was a bit jarring to see Merle in a photograph. Alive. With a genuine smile on his face. His arm around Daryl—the perfect image of "brothers."

Sometimes, as odd as it was to think about, Beth had to remind herself that Merle had been alive at one point. For a long time, actually. Half a damn century, to be exact. She'd already grown so used to only knowing him as a ghost, a man long deceased. But he'd died barely a month ago…

"Were you planning on stayin' fer dinner?" Carol asked, jolting Beth out of her thoughts. "I dunno if Daryl's told you about it, but he claims I make the best tuna casserole in Georgia."

She chuckled and Beth smiled politely, shaking her head. "Thank you for the invitation, but I can't. My sister's in town this weekend, so we try to have dinner as a family whenever we can."

Carol nodded in understanding. "Well, the offer's always on the table. Your sister lives in Atlanta, right?"

Beth nodded. "Thanks. And yeah. She doesn't have time to come home very often these days."

"Reckon that's the downside to havin' a career," Carol said, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess I always kinda expected her to move away and start her own life, though," Beth said. She glanced pointedly towards one of the photos of Carol's daughter. "Don't you have a daughter?"

"I do," Carol beamed, her eyes lighting up at the mention. "Her name's Sophia. She's at her friend's sleepover tonight."

"Oh, darn," Beth said. "I was hopin' to meet her. Daryl's told me a little, but not much."

Carol chuckled softly. "Sounds like him. You want anything to drink? Water? Tea? I just made a pot of coffee if yer interested."

"Water would be great," Beth said. "Thank you."

"Gotcha." Carol walked off towards the kitchen and Beth followed hesitantly.

She watched the older woman open the fridge and retrieve a bottle of water, stepping back and handing it over to her. Beth took it and drank gratefully, and before she could start to feel awkward, Carol was gesturing for her to have a seat at the table. So she did. And Carol took the seat beside her, where a mug of milky coffee was already sitting atop the table.

Beth didn't have a chance to shift uncomfortably where she sat, or rack her brain for what to say next. Because Carol immediately jumped into more formalities, a warm smile plastered to her face the whole time. And it appeared genuine. She seemed almost eager to sit down and chat with the girl who was being haunted by Daryl's dead brother.

"It's so good to finally meet you in person," Carol said. She wrapped both hands around her coffee mug, taking a small sip but keeping her eyes on Beth. "Daryl showed me some pictures, but I think we both know that's not quite the same as seein' somebody with your own eyes." She laughed softly.

Beth smiled back, a bit confused. "He showed you pictures? Of me?"

Carol nodded. "Yeah. I think they were just Facebook pictures, but still."

Beth could feel her cheeks growing warm and she quickly took another swig of water. He'd looked up her Facebook profile just to show his roommate/best friend some photos of what she looked like? That was… something.

"I was just curious ta know what you looked like," Carol added. "I pestered him enough. Wouldn't even tell me your name until yesterday. He can be so secretive sometimes." She chuckled, shaking her head and speaking light-heartedly.

Beth nodded and agreed awkwardly. "Yeah, he sure can." She was starting to wonder when Merle would pop up. That was his thing, after all—appearing out of nowhere and startling her at the most inopportune moments. Surely he had some crass comments to make about Daryl's best friend? "But I guess it's kind of a given that he'd be secretive about this. About us."

Carol shrugged. "Well yeah, it made sense once he explained it. Not like Merle ever liked me, so I understand why Daryl would be hesitant about opening up." She rolled her eyes and added nonchalantly, "I mean, that and the whole 'dead brother appearing to a stranger with news of a demon deal' aspect." She chuckled, but it was audibly tenser than usual.

Beth's smile faded and she looked back at Carol with a hint of suspicion. "What all did he tell you?"

Carol took a sip of coffee and explained, "Barely anything, at first. I'll admit, I pestered him a bit because I could tell somethin' was bothering him. Took him another night before he'd sit down and actually talk about what y'all found out—what you saw at that cabin in Florida." She paused. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth and she added, "I didn't start gettin' really suspicious until I caught him throwing out his gator skin boots."

Beth snickered, remembering how fond Daryl had been of that huge alligator. "He told you about Tabitha?"

Carol laughed. "Oh yeah. He was itchin' to tell me about that part. I found him digging through his closet the next day—I guess he felt terrible about owning a pair of gator skin boots. He donated 'em to Goodwill, but I'm pretty sure he wanted to burn 'em."

Beth briefly imagined Daryl frantically digging through his closet and mumbling about Tabitha. The two women shared a laugh at that.

Then Beth sombered as she thought of all they'd learned at Morgan's cabin. She asked warily, "Did he tell you about my… Gift?"

Carol nodded, lips pursed uncertainly.

"And you believe him? You believe me? Like… fully? You don't think I'm just some crazy farm girl that's seeing things an' tryin' to drag Daryl down with me?"

Carol frowned and met Beth's gaze with intent. "Of course I believe him. And if believing him means believing you, then yeah. It's not like you could've made all this crap up." She shrugged and added, "Daryl wouldn't lie to me, and he's not the naive type. And he's never believed in all this stuff—the religion and the ghosts and… everything else. Not till he met you a few days ago. That alone tells me everythin' I need to know."

Beth blinked, a bit dumbfounded. Convincing Rick Grimes that she wasn't a doped-out lunatic was one thing, but meeting a woman who had no doubt that she was telling the complete truth was another. Not having to go through the routine of trying to explain how and why her Gift existed wasn't something she'd expected. Daryl had already done all the emotional labor, she knew. So this wasn't really her victory to claim.

Nonetheless, it was a relief. Just to know that someone understood. That someone could fathom it as a possibility without assuming it was some poorly-written M. Night Shyamalan knock-off fantasy.

Carol chuckled and asked, "Are you just some crazy farm girl who's tryin' to drag Daryl down with you?"

Beth quickly shook her head. "No—no, of course not. I wanna help him. Any way that I can."

"Okay then," Carol said simply. "I can't imagine why you'd ever lie about such a thing, anyway. I believe you, Beth."

There was an awkward beat. Beth took a sip of her water.

Then Carol asked, "Is he here?" She glanced around warily. "With us?"

"Merle?"

Carol nodded.

Beth smirked. "No. He was here fer a second before you answered the door, but he's already told me how much he doesn't like you. He disappeared. I think he just doesn't like accepting the fact that his baby brother has friends that he doesn't approve of."

Carol wagged a finger in agreement. "You're exactly right." She shook her head. "That Merle was always stubborn as a damn mule. He didn't like anyone that got close to his brother. Not me, not Dwight, and certainly not Rick."

Beth furrowed her brow. "Dwight?" She recalled the man she'd seen at the bar on the very first day she'd approached Daryl. "Is that the blond guy? With the burns on his face?"

Carol nodded. "Yeah. They work together. He's a good guy. The burns are from a house fire several years back. He's lucky to be alive. Merle hated him from the second he dared to offer Daryl a steady job."

"Oh," Beth said quietly.

"I know Daryl loved Merle," Carol went on. "And I know Merle loved him back just the same. But I don't think Daryl realizes that people like his brother show love in a different way—a more toxic, harmful, selfish way. People like Merle get stuck in their ways, and they fight back against any sorta positive change. I think he was always a little scared of losing Daryl entirely. Too bad he couldn't realize he was the one pushin' Daryl away in the first place."

"The relationship between two brothers is something more complicated than you or I could ever understand, but it should not be underestimated," Lady Jadis's words echoed in Beth's head.

"Yeah," Beth muttered, absorbing the other woman's words. "I think you're right."

Okay. So this lady got it. She was no stranger to the fact that Dixons ain't turnips. That was a good sign.

"Shit," Carol huffed out, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table while she remained turned towards Beth. "I can only imagine what kinda hell you've been goin' through this week. Havin' to listen to Merle and fix all his mistakes."

Beth let out a tired sigh and lamented, "You have no idea. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, and he doesn't ever shut up. I'm startin' to think I'm being punished."

They shared a laugh at that and Carol remarked, "You're not bein' punished. You're a good girl—I can tell. You've just been thrown into a shitty situation."

"Hm," Beth hummed thoughtfully, glancing down to the water bottle clasped in her hand. "I guess so. To put it simply." She paused before adding, "But I'm not supposed to fix all Merle's mistakes. That's his job. I'm just the middle man."

"That's another way to put it," Carol said flatly. "But don't go downplaying what yer doing, Beth. It certainly isn't easy."

Before Beth could respond, the sound of boots and anxious paws pulled her attention towards the front door. Carol looked too, just in time to see Daryl and Dog entering. Daryl shut the door behind him and watched Dog rush off to his water bowl before lifting his head to acknowledge the two women sitting at the kitchen table.

"Well, y'all met. Ain't keepin' nobody secret," he said, looking at Beth pointedly and then turning his gaze on Carol. "Should I be worried?"

Dog rushed over to Beth and nudged her leg with his nose. She happily ruffled the fur on his head and scratched him behind his ears. He gave her hands a thorough sniffing, then licked her fingers and pushed his furry head back into her palms for more scratches.

Carol chuckled. "About what? That we might get along too well?"

Beth smirked and watched Daryl roll his eyes and step over to plop himself down on the couch. "Sum'n like that."

Dog saw Daryl sitting down and quickly abandoned Beth to trot over and hop onto the couch beside his owner.

"We were just talkin' about how insufferable Merle can be," Beth said. "Kinda nice ta have somebody to relate with when it comes to dealing with your brother."

Daryl grunted. Carol chimed in with her agreement, "I was tellin' her how he never liked me and how bad I feel for her that she has to put up with him when no one else has to hear the shit he says."

"We all know he was a fuckin' dickhead," Daryl muttered, patting Dog's head and leaning forward to grab the TV remote off the coffee table. "Ain't gotta have a fuckin' conference about it."

"Okay," Carol mediated. "No need to get defensive. We weren't talking trash about him. We were just relating."

Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down Beth's spine.

"Funny, 'cause it sure sounded like trash talk ta me."

She whipped her head around to see Merle leaning against the fridge, arms crossed over his chest and a heavy scowl on his face. He was glaring daggers at the back of Carol's head, then his eyes flicked over and met Beth's.

"Didn't yer daddy ever teach ya it ain't right to speak ill of the dead?" He said bitterly.

But before Beth could say anything, Dog leapt off the couch and started barking. He was staring straight at Merle, baring his teeth and growling in between loud woofs.

Merle just laughed, standing up straight and taunting the animal. "Wha'samatter, ol' boy? Ain'tcha ever seen a ghost before?"

Daryl hopped up from the couch and tried to calm Dog down, grabbing him by the scruff and struggling to be heard over the barking. Carol looked back and forth from the German Shepherd to the fridge in confusion. Then she turned and noticed how Beth was frowning at seemingly thin air.

"He's here, isn't he?" The older woman guessed.

Beth merely nodded.

Daryl gave up and started urging Dog towards the front door. Merle was still laughing as he watched his living brother practically shove the German Shepherd outside, going along with him, and shut the door behind them.

"Bark all ya want, I ain't goin' nowhere," Merle hollered. "I was here first, ya fuckin' mutt!"

She was about to apologize and excuse herself so she could try and shoo Merle away, but then her phone started vibrating with an incoming call. She pulled it from her pocket and glanced at the caller ID: Shawn.

"I'm sorry, it's my brother, I have ta take this," she told Carol, who simply nodded in understanding.

Beth walked over to the other side of the living room and slid the green button across her phone screen before putting it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you still in town with Daryl an' Rick?" Shawn's voice sounded strained, and she could hear rushing wind and the distinct rumbling of his truck's engine in the background.

"No, I was actually about to head back," she said. "Why? Is everythin' okay?"

Shawn sighed, audibly frustrated. "Well, I'm on my way to the grocery store with a truckload of pumpkins an' I just got a call from the Morrisons sayin' they saw one of our steers runnin' loose."

"Crap," Beth muttered. "Where's Maggie?"

"She's clear out on the other side of the property with Glenn and the horses, they ain't even got 'em back to the stables yet," he explained. "So I really need you ta get back home an' check the fences 'fore anybody else sneaks out. I got Ernie out lookin' fer the escapee right now, but he's gotta head home after that."

"Okay, I can do that," Beth agreed. "I thought you checked the fences this mornin', though?"

"I didn't have time," Shawn admitted with aggravation. "Thought I could let it go fer one goddamn day, but I guess I shoulda known better. I spent the whole morning tryin' to finish up the hay bales. First freeze is gonna be here 'fore we know it. Otis usually checks the fences, but…"

"Yeah, I got it," she said. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. If you need help with the hay bales, I can finish 'em up after church tomorrow."

"Yer volunteering to throw bales?" Shawn scoffed. "That's a first."

Beth rolled her eyes. "If you'd rather do it yerself—"

"Don't be a brat," he scolded. "'Course I need yer help. Maybe you could get yer new boyfriend ta come chip in a little, too. Looks like he could throw a few dozen bales without much problem."

"I'm gonna hang up now. I'll call you when I find the break in the fence."

Shawn laughed but Beth was already ending the call. She shoved the phone back into her pocket and walked over to the kitchen, where Carol had stood up and started gathering utensils and ingredients for preparing dinner. Merle had disappeared, but Dog could still be heard barking loudly outside.

"I have ta get back home an' help catch a loose steer," Beth explained. "But it was really nice meetin' you. Thanks for having me, and um—believing me. It means a lot."

Carol smiled warmly. "No problem. It was nice meeting you too, Beth. I hope it won't be the last time you come around."

Beth returned the smile, though it was a bit stiff. "Hopefully it won't be."

Carol nodded. "Well, for what it's worth: I think you an' Daryl could be really good friends."

But Beth had too much on her mind at the moment to contemplate the tone of Carol's voice. So she just smiled awkwardly and rushed out the front door.

Merle was nowhere to be seen. Or heard.

to be continued…


A/N: chapters 7-10 of the podfic are now available for listening :) check out this fic on AO3 for the link!