**** Warning for some pretty harsh language. Just some general Merle usage. * * * *

Chapter 11 – Time To Go

Beth sat in the passenger seat of the truck, her heels constantly tapping on the floor as her leg shook a million miles a minute. Daryl reached for the floorboard, grabbing his bag to dig through it until he found what he was looking for, he shoved one tiny explosive after another into his pocket, wondering what the hell he was going to do. Would they know they were there to start something, or would they be able to walk in and walk out without any problem.

So many scenarios were running through her head right now that Beth looked down, her fingers picking at the skin on the end of her thumbnails as she whispered, "Daryl" to get his attention. He stopped what he was doing to look at her. Their eyes met for a moment before he nodded his head and opened the truck door, mumbling "come on."

It was agreed that Beth wouldn't stay in the truck by herself. For one, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to leave her alone with the vampires looking for them. Two he mentioned that if things didn't go down like planned, he wanted her close for an alternate escape plan. One that he would probably think up on the spot, and Beth wouldn't have a clue to what was going on.

She agreed, though, nodding along as he gave her the instructions on the way over here. The entire time her stomach knotted up, the nausea steadily worsening as she watched the buildings deteriorate around them, growing more and more desolate as they drew away from the suburban blocks. They pulled up to a small two story town house that looked like it was ready to fall over any minute. With chipped paint and cracked bricks holding up the foundation. People were stumbling in and out and Daryl explained it was one of the vampires drug houses. "An easy way to hold Merle, without actually having to hold Merle," Daryl tried to explain as they drove up there.

Beth scowled at him, trying to understand how anyone could hold his older brother without the man putting up a fight. Daryl noticed the confused look in her eye and shook his head, sighing as he said, "Merle got hooked on their blood without realizing what it was exactly... It's why I owed them. Why he got sent away to..." He let his words trail off as the rest of the story seemed obvious. Merle got thrown in jail for one thing or another and Daryl was left to clean up the mess.

Heading up the steps, Beth stayed close to Daryl. Theirs arms brushing against each other with each step, though Daryl kept his hands tucked into his jacket. Wrapped tightly around those explosives he planned on planting around the place. She didn't know his full plan, said it would be better if she was somewhat oblivious to such things. Beth wished he would trust her a bit more, let her help him with something other than passing messages and shooting a few dead heads.

'One day,' she muttered, moving pass a couple of people lingering in the doorway. Daryl pushed past them, his hand snaking out to push one of them aside. When Beth passed by them, she looked down to see one of Daryl's small bombs attached to the man's shoulder blade. He must not have noticed it, because while he scowled at them he turned back to the other man he'd been talking with and didn't bother reaching for the small device.
Beth suddenly knew what the plan was as they moved into another room and Daryl went up to another man. This one he seemed to know because he clapped him on the back and started talking to him. Asking him if he'd seen his brother. When the man nodded his head, he pointed toward a back room and Daryl walked away. Beth looked back long enough to see the man turn and yet another small device clipped to the man's back. Beth shook her head, hurrying to catch up as Daryl made his way through the house. He stopped now and then to talk to someone.

Clasping hands with them and reaching around to give them a quick slap on the back. Whenever he left them there would be another device hanging off their backs.

When they reached a set of stairs that led down, Beth grabbed his arm, stopping him from moving any further and he stopped to look at her. She could see the determination in his eyes. It was the same look he adopted when he had to end a friend's life because they were bitten. The look he got when he knew things were fixing to go from bad to worse. A hard stare that told Beth he was numb at the moment. He wasn't feeling anything, just moving on instinct as he made his way through the house. She looked back at the people hanging in the hallway. At the ones that he shook hands with and brought them in for hugs. How many of them were his friends, his comrades for the past couple of years.

"He's down here," he mumbled, grabbing her hand for the first time and heading down the stairs. Beth swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes scanning over the people once again as she followed him down.

The place darkened considerably and Beth gripped Daryl's hand tighter. Using him to guide her down the stairs and into a small hallway. The sound of an obnoxious cackle caught their attention and they both froze at the sound. Daryl looked back with a lopsided smile on the side of his face as he pulled her along to the end of the hall.

Walking through the door, Beth was able to see through the few candles lit up, making the room glow in the darkness and keeping Merle in the shadows as he looked toward the newcomers.

"Hey little brother," he said, the biggest grin spreading across his face. "Glad ta see yer home." he continued, cackling again as he puffed on whatever was in his hand.

Daryl stood in front of him, a scowl across his face that was matched only by Beth's as she took in the man sitting on the couch. The shirt he was wearing was wrinkled and there was something stained on the white wife beater that he wore underneath. Not to mention the worn down pants, and messed up strands of hair that was on his head. The man literally looked like he just woke up and didn't give a damn about where he was and the half stoned girl wrapped around him didn't seem to give a shit either as she smiled up at Daryl. Beth narrowed her gaze at the woman, noticing how the woman's eye stared longer the necessary at them. Almost glaring at the both of them before giving off a small smile. A small bit of pointed white teeth showed from underneath her lips, and Beth tensed as she looked at the female vampire and then toward Merle who was still oblivious next to her.

Daryl shifted his stance, his gaze barely lingering on the vampire before turning to his brother, his scowl deepening as he nodded toward the door. "Come on, asshole. Time to go," said Daryl. He shifted his stance, turning a bit so that Merle would have a straight shot to the doorway. His brother cocked another crooked grin as he puffed on his smoke before shaking his head.

"Why don't you get comfortable, try some of this shit," he said, holding up a bag of red powder. Daryl's scowl deepened at the substance before they shifted to his brother who was holding it for him. Shaking his head, he nodded toward the bag. "How much more you got?"

Merle laughed, the girl practically fell on his lap as she laughed along with him and Beth couldn't stop the look of disgust that came across her face as she stared at the two. She didn't know anything about the girl, but she could remember Merle from the prison. Remembered how scared she was of him then, until he released Michonne and faced the Governor on his own. It cost him his life, but he still did it and that brought on some respect for the man. Looking at him now, she thought maybe she was looking at two completely different men. Maybe she was, maybe just like Daryl, her version of Merle and this version weren't the same person yet. Maybe they had to grow into that person.

Whatever it was, she couldn't stop the scowl from deepening as he dug into his pockets and pulled out another two packets of the red substance. Daryl nodded his head, scratching at his jaw as he looked from the bags to Beth. Their eyes met, and she couldn't stop her mouth from gaping open as he stepped around the small coffee table and settled down next to his brother.

"Daryl," she said, taking a step forward with her eyes widening at the sight of the man grabbing the packets and opening them up. He gave one a quick sniff as he ignored her glare.

"Hey there, Blondie," Merle said, his grin widening to show all his teeth as he looked her up and down. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Beth took a step back, her arms crossing over her chest as she ignored the older Dixon brother and looked instead to Daryl. "We don't got time for this," she said, exasperated with the pair of them at the moment.

"Just give me a minute," he muttered, shaking the bag a bit before looking toward Merle. "Seems kind of light. You got any more money?"

Beth felt her lungs collapse, her hands flying up in front of her, with her fingers curled like they wanted to strangle someone. And they did. Daryl really wanted to do this now? She knew he liked his smokes. Knew that from the moment she met him at the warehouse, but this? Now?

Merle nodded his head, digging in his pocket for a moment before he pulled out a small wad of cash. Daryl took it, flipping the bills open to count them out. When he was finished, he shook his head and sucked on his bottom lip. "Alright," he mumbled, grabbing all three bags of the red powder and pocketing the money as he stood up. "Come on, Z," he said, as he rounded the table a second time and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him.

"Hey!" Merle shouted behind them, Beth looked back to see him standing now. The smile wiped clean off his face as he frowned at Daryl's retreating figure. "Piece of shit, get back here!"

Daryl kept on walking, tugging Beth along as they made their way back through the darkened hallway.

She could feel her chest tightening, leaving her to force air into her lungs as they made their way down the dark corridor with her mind was still trying to wrap around Daryl's plan. They could here Merle making his way into the hallway. Shouting something that was indiscernible at the moment.

Daryl stopped at the bottom of the steps, his hand digging in his pocket and pulling out a couple more detonators. "Place them where you can," he whispered as Merle came stumbling out of the back room. "We're about to make a lot of noise."

"Fuckin pussy! I paid for that shit!" Merle hollered, coming toward them.

"With stolen money, you fuckin asshole!" Daryl shouted back, stepping backwards until he was standing in the middle of the stairs.

Merle stumbled his way across the hallway. Using the walls on either side to keep himself upright. The girl that lounged on the couch with him came up to pull on his arm. Attempting to coax him back with, "come on, baby. We can find other ways to get more for ya." Merle ignored her, shoving her away as he mumbled something about "family affairs." The woman threw her hands up in exaggeration and headed back toward the room. Daryl shoved Beth behind him, turning to face his brother as he slowly made his way up the hallway. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Merle glared up at them.

Merle's eyes flashed toward Beth, who stood just behind his brother before sliding back over Daryl. "That what this about?" he asked, attempting to stand a little straighter. He still wobbled where he stood, and Beth wondered if he could even make it up the stairs. "Cause I stole from your girlfriend?"

He waved his arm toward her as he took a step up. He stumbled and took another step down before landing against the wall.

"No," Daryl shouted back, his hands on his hips now as he took another step back. "This about the fact your high, again, and I'm having to rescue your ass. Again!"

"Fuck you! I don't need you to rescue me. I can take care of my damn self," Merle shouted, still leaning against the wall while his arms flew everywhere.

"Yeah, prove it," Daryl shouted back down as he took a made his way up the stairs. "Come up here and get your shit."

He made his way up the rest of the stairs, stopping only when he reached the top to look back down at his brother who was taking one step at a time mumbling "don't need to prove shit to no one. Sure as hell don't need my little brother telling me what to do. Fuckin..." Beth turned back to Daryl who was sneering down at him. When he looked toward her, he must have noticed the concerned look on her face because he shrugged and whispered, "it's the only way we're gettin him outta here."

Beth nodded, understanding finally dawning on her when she felt him give her arm a quick squeeze before turning back to Merle. "What was that, dick head? You gonna get up here or not?" Merle stood propped against the wall again, his breathing labored as he stared daggers toward his little brother. Daryl held out the bag full of red powder, waving it toward him as he continued taunting the man with, "guess I'm just gonna have to get rid of this shit. Since you're just gonna stand there like a fuckin whipped cow."

Daryl moved away from the stairs, pulling Beth along with him as Merle came crawling up the rest of the way with another string of curses leaving his mouth. "Yeah, that's right," Daryl continued, walking backwards down the hallway now to keep an eye on Merle. "Keep talkin your shit. That's all your good for."

Beth walked behind him, her eyes more on the commotion that the two brothers were stirring than on to anyone in front of her and she stumbled into a few people, barely remembering the items in her hand as she reached out to steady herself. One of them landed on the back of someone's arm, it's light blinking red before the person shoved her way mumbling "watch it." Beth did. She moved to the front room where she stopped at the doorway to see Daryl leaning against the door frame in the previous room, arms crossed and scowling as he looked toward Merle, who was now standing at the top of the stairs, catching his breath as he held himself up against the wall.

"Pussy, come over here and face me like a man," Merle spat, spittle running down his face as he pushed himself off the wall. He stumbled across the room, running into a couple of people and pieces of furniture before he was standing a few feet away from Daryl.

Daryl sneered, taking in his brother's wobbling form as he stepped away from the door frame and toward the center of the room, his hands waving at Merle in a come hither motion. "You can't even stand and you wanna fight?"

"Daryl," Beth hissed, her eyes bulging as her arms swung toward the front door. Daryl gave her a slight glance, nodding his head toward the exit before looking back to Merle, who was standing straight, fixing his own pants like he was going to actually fight.

"Head to the car, Z," he said, not really looking at her as Merle rushed at him. Daryl stepped to the side, just barely missing a collision with his brother as he headed toward the front lobby. Beth pushed her way through the people, leaving the last explosive on some homeless looking guy that was leaning against the wall by the door watching the drama unfold within. He barely gave her a glance as she shoved against his shoulder for a brief moment, only stumbled through the doorway. When she stepped outside, she had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted from the dark interior of the house to the brightness outside. When she could see without the spots blinding her, she made her way across the lawn, toward their truck parked across the street. Doing her best to ignore the curses still being spewed inside, and the sound of breaking glass that made her cringe over which brother it was that fell through a table, or mirror, or whatever it was that just broke.

Halfway down the cemented pathway from the house, she heard the front door bang open and she turned to see Merle flying out the front and falling on his back on the concrete. Daryl wasn't far behind him as he stormed toward his brother, yanking him up by the collar of his shirt until the man was somewhat standing before shoving him on to the lawn.

Beth noticed the deep cut across Merle's face and the red spot on Daryl's face as she turned away to keep from gaping at the both of them. They were both stumbling toward the truck. Merle still going on about his brother being a pussy and Daryl is replying back with another shove as he said "Just fuckin move already, asshole."

Reaching the truck, Beth slide into the driver's seat. Her focus more on the two brothers heading her way than actually starting the car. Still, she managed to feel for the keys that were left in the ignition and turn the engine over before Daryl and Merle reached the truck and forced her to slide all the way over to the passenger side. Merle slid in next, his head falling to the back of the seat before Daryl could even climb in and settle himself in the driver's side.

"Didn't have to punch me so damn hard," Daryl grumbled as he rubbed at the red spot on the corner of his eyes. Beth looked over at him, examining the small spot before he glanced at her and started fumbling in his pockets.

"Yeah, well you didn't have to throw me out of the fuckin house," Merle snapped back, one eye opening as it looked to what Daryl was pulling him from his pocket. "When the hell'd you get so strong anyways?" he asked, barely noticing Daryl's and Beth's focus on the house they just vacated. Daryl hesitated for a moment, his eyes traveling over the small space before he looked over at Beth. Their eyes met, again that hard stone look that told Beth he was trying not to think about what he was going to do. Possibly wanted her to give him some indication that she didn't want it either, but she just nodded. One side of her mouth going up in a grim smile as he mashed the button. It took a moment, the only sound was Merle's grumbling as he rubbed a sore spot on his cheek.

Screams rendered them all silent as flames smashed the first story windows open. The small explosion causing their truck to shake at the same moment Daryl punched on the gas. He didn't wait to see if anyone came running out of the house, didn't even here is brother mutter "what the hell," as they sped down the street and around the corner.

Beth watched as the flames rose up in the air, unable to tear her eyes away even as the house disappeared from view. Merle sat in the middle of them, his body twisted in the same direction before turning to look at his brother. "Did you fuckin do that?" he asked, eyes wide and a smirk on his face. Beth half wondered if he was having an epiphany or some kind of life reevaluation moment. She really hoped so, but she doubted it.

"Could have been a gas leak," Daryl mumbled, not looking in the rear view mirror for one second as he continued on with his explanation. "Place stunk to high heaven."

He glanced toward Beth, making sure their eyes made contact before giving his head a slight shake. Beth nodded, understanding that whatever happened in that house. Whatever happened in New York couldn't be talked about. Not in front of Merle anyways.


Beth leaned on the outside of the hotel wall. In one direction she could see the city skyline a couple of hours behind them. In the other an endless expanse of highway that Beth didn't know how long they would be following. Daryl was looking to travel home, and even Merle didn't raise much of an argument about that before drifting off to sleep.

Beth wondered if home was the best option for her. How much temptation would be there to go back, or if she would be able to stop herself. Looking toward Daryl, she hoped that being with him would be enough to keep her away. That even when the world started falling apart, she would be able to stay away. She didn't want to know what the reactions would be if she were to show up on that farm, ten years older with scars all over her body and no real explanation of what happened. Closing her eyes, she focused on the man next to her. Noting the smoke now hanging in his hand as he placed it on the edge of the phone booth and said, "yeah that was us."

She assumed he'd gotten a hold of Blade and she moved a little closer to hear what the man was saying as Daryl continued with, "figured you could use a little distraction."

"Well, it worked," Blade replied, his tone somewhat amused. Beth smiled at it, happy to hear him use another tone aside from disdain for a change. His words faded out after that, forcing her to move closer until she was inches from Daryl so that she could hear him on the other end. "We're heading toward Boston now. Whistler has another warehouse there," Blade explained. Daryl nodded in agreement glancing at Beth before looking toward the truck.

"Well, good luck to yeah," he said, sucking on his smoke for a moment before letting the smoke billow out.

"You're not going that way?" Blade asked, and this time she could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"Nah, we've decided to head home. See what could happen there." Daryl looked at her again, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before giving him the smallest of smiles. So focused on Daryl and the way his blue eyes penetrated hers that she missed what Blade said before Daryl was mumbling "alright, you two take care." Then he hung up the phone and leaned against the phone booth still staring down at her.

"Ya ready?" he asked, nodding toward the truck. Beth looked at it, glancing at the long highway behind it and then back to him.

'Just like old times,' she thought before giving him another one of her small smiles and nodded."Yeah." Whatever he heard in her tone of her voice gave him pause, causing him to furrow his brows as Beth moved to walk back to the truck.

When he grabbed her coat collar, he pulled her back to face him and it was Beth's turn to give him a confused glare. His hands came up to cup her face, holding her stare while his thumbs ran back and forth against her skin, causing Beth to close her eyes at the motion.

"I'm going to make this better," he said, pulling her closer to him until they were mere centimeters from each other. Beth nodded, her smile growing as she said, "I know" before closing the last bit of space between them to rest her lips against his. Closing her eyes to savior the feel of skin against skin. Daryl's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her body against his own, and Beth let out a heavy sigh. Almost a moan that he swallowed up as he tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss. She wrapped her arm around his neck, pushing up on her tiptoes to bring herself closer before he pulled away. His fingers coming back up to stroke at the edge of her lips.
"We'll make it better," she said, looking into his blue eyes to see the way the edges crinkled up before glancing down at his smile that sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. He gave her another quick kiss, barely touching her before he pulled away and let his arms drop to his side.

Beth grabbed his hands, heading back toward the truck before she moved to the passenger side to climb in. The sound of both doors slamming shut made Merle shoot up in his seat, spittle running down his jaw as he looked around him.

Wiping at his face, he looked first at her and then toward Daryl and said, "why am I in bitch still?"

"Because you are the bitch," Daryl replied, not bothering to look toward Merle as he pulled out of the hotel room and headed back down the highway. It was still early, and Daryl was pretty sure there would be another spot to crash in somewhere down the road. If nothing else, they could pull to the side of the highway and sleep in the back with Merle in the cab. Either way, they both agreed it was still too close to the city to be stopping here for the night.

"Huh," Merle snorted out, resting his head back against the seat as he mumbled out a few words that Beth couldn't understand. Daryl must have because he shook his head at him, giving him a slight glare before turning back to the endless expanse of highway.


Hope you enjoyed this one. Just a bit of a Dixon brother quarrel. I don't know about ya'll but I loved the dynamic they had in TWD. They were brothers that looked out for each other but there was still that hostility towards each other. Plus I loved Merle. Sure he was an a-hole but he grew on ya. Hope I got him right and you did enjoy it.

Anyways, Until next time.