Chapter 15

It had been a few weeks since Daryl left their shared apartment to move in with his family, and whilst Merle understood it, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt any less. He hated coming home to the barren, rundown home they'd shared for the last six months, but he hated working on the same housing development with his brother that ignored him pretty much every time he saw him even more.

A figure bobbed and swooped in front of him, pulling him from his wayward thoughts and back to the leather clad man that was circling his baby.

Frowning as the man once again walked in a circle, his finger tapping against the stubble on his chin, Merle felt his irritation bubbling and the scowl on his face deepened as his mouth opened. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of expletives to the guy for wasting his time, the man stopped and spoke.

"I'll give you eight"

Merle blew out a breath and stepped forward to protect his baby from the ridiculous offer that had spewed from his lips.

"Eight?" Merle questioned as though he'd heard the words wrong, "Man, c'mon! She's worth at least fifteen"

The man seemed to mull over Merle's words and smiled, "Fine, I'll give you eight and a half, and you can throw in that sweet vest too!"

Merle glanced down at the leather vest that lay over his wifebeater before abruptly snapping his head up in the man's direction.

"Ain't gonna happen, so why don't 'cha jus' get back on that toy of yours, which by the way my niece could handle better than you, and stop wastin' my time!" Merle spun on his heel and left the man staring after him.

Reaching the main entrance that led to his apartment, Merle halted when the man shouted over, "Okay! Okay!" he huffed as he jogged to Merle's side, "I'll give you fifteen for her"

Merle smiled to himself before turning around, "Cash only. Ya saw that in the ad, right?"

The man nodded once before making arrangements to return within the next two hours with the cash as promised.

Merle kept himself busy whilst he waited for the man to return. If he was busy, it gave him less time to think. The truth was, that bike was probably the one thing that had meant the world to him. But, when he'd found out from Aaron that Annie's hospital bills hadn't been fully covered by Beth's insurance, he hoped that by selling his bike and paying the bills that it would be a step in the right direction at getting his family back.

Getting his family back had been at the forefront of his mind since he'd found out about Annie and the guilt he'd felt about Daryl missing out on his family. He'd gone over different things to try and win them back, but nothing he thought of ever came close to making up for his wrong doings.

Later that day, Merle drove his old beat up truck to the diner where Beth worked. He'd already decided that he would try and give her the money without Daryl being around, he just hoped it worked.

Pulling into the parking lot, he sucked in a deep breath. It felt like everything came down to this. "It's now or never, Merle" he told himself before pushing the door open and walking in.

"Counter or booth?" a chipper brunette asked as he stepped into the air-conditioned building.

Glancing around he noticed Beth at the end of the row of booths taking a family's order, "Booth" he replied before heading in Beth's direction.

Slipping into the nearest empty booth, he wiped his sweaty hands across his thighs and waited.

"Hi, my name is Beth and I'll be your server today"

Merle looked up and noticed that she was too busy writing the rest of the family's order on her pad to realise he was there.

"Beth" he said in his southern raspy voice. Her head snapped up in his direction and a frown marred her pale face.

"Merle?"

He smiled a toothy grin before it slipped off his face at her next words, "What are y' doin' here?"

He spread his large hands on the table, as if hoping that it answered her question. When she didn't move, he inclined his head to the bench seat opposite him, "Can ya sit for a minute?"

Beth glanced towards the counter before looking back at Merle. For a moment, she could see the same dark circles beneath Merle's eyes that she saw on Daryl each day. It appeared that the separation was not doing either of them any good and for a minute she almost felt sorry for Merle; only until everything he did to her, Hershel and Daryl reared its ugly head.

Merle saw the moment he started to lose her, so as she turned to leave his hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist. Her eyes shot down to his tanned fingers that engulfed her thin, pale wrist. She expected to feel pain, but he held her so loosely as if she would break. Glancing back at him, she saw the same pleading eyes she often sees in her own daughter.

"Please?" he whispered.

Looking back to the counter, Beth saw that Karen was watching warily with an eyebrow raised in question. Smiling slightly, Beth nodded in Karen's direction to confirm she was okay and watched as Karen resumed her work.

Turning back to Merle, she nodded, "Let me jus' put this order in".

Merle's fingers released her wrist allowing her to move away. The last thing he saw was the bow of her apron disappear around the booth's edge. He fidgeted in his seat, wincing when the leather of the bench squeaked under his legs. Sitting forward, he hunched over the table and grabbed a menu. It wasn't that he was hungry, far from it, he just needed something to do.

A glass of root-beer was placed in front of him and he frowned before Beth slid in opposite with her own.

"Figured with this heat you'd need a cold drink" she told him whilst taking a sip.

He nodded and lifted the cold glass to his lips. The feel of the cool liquid easing the burning nervousness he felt.

"Why are y' here, Merle?"

Merle looked down at his glass and traced the condensation that ran down the sides with his finger.

"How's Annie?" he asked without answering her question.

Beth's face softened at the mention of her daughter and she smiled to herself as a memory reared.

"That doesn't go in there, daddy" Annie's small voice announced from where she sat on the bed in Beth's room; correction their room.

The same day that Annie was released from hospital, Daryl had moved in. With the help of their friends, Daryl had managed to pack and move everything from the apartment he shared with Merle to his new home with his family.

Daryl glanced from the pile of freshly laundered bedding in his arms to his daughter, a frown on his face. When it was just him and Merle they'd been tidy but never felt the need for more than one change of bedding, which is why he was having a hard time putting away the laundry.

Seeing her father torn over where to put the clean items, Annie smiled and pointed to the closet along the wall.

"Mama puts them in there"

Daryl smiled and stepped to the closet that his daughter was still pointing at. Pulling open the door, he reached up and dumped the pile on the shelf.

Immediately Annie frowned and scampered down the side of the bed before rushing to his side. As Beth reached the bedroom doorway, she stepped back to watch the two most important people in her life. She knew they needed time together as much as Daryl and herself did, and she was determined to give them the time they had missed.

"Don't jus' chuck it in there" Annie moaned dramatically, mirroring Beth's own words to her when she told her daughter to tidy her room on many occasion.

Daryl frowned again and looked from where he'd placed the laundry to the small child near his legs. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the look of her with her hip jutted out to one side and her small hand resting on it. He had seen that exact same pose from her mama on many of occasions when they were growing up.

"Well, how d' ya want to me to do it?" he questioned gently.

Without speaking, she reached up her arms and he happily obliged. He didn't even think Annie realised when he pulled her close enough to feel her heart beating against his chest. As soon as they were both facing the closet at the same height, Annie leant forward and began to move the items to how she'd seen Beth do it.

Daryl smirked and held back the chuckles each time he heard her grunt as if she were moving a mountain.

"There" she said when the pile was as it should be before turning to face Daryl.

He smiled and nodded making a mental note of how it should be in case he had to do it again.

Immediately, Annie started to squirm in his arms to be let down and he lowered himself to release her. He already hated the coolness of his skin the moment she stepped away from him. It was as if he'd lost so much time with her, he didn't want to lose anymore.

"Lunch is ready" Beth called from the stairs causing Annie to run towards the door as fast as her legs would carry her.

"No running" Beth and Daryl called at the same time causing Annie to pause in her step, a cheeky smile on her face.

Daryl turned and closed the closet, a smile still on his face.

"Daddy?" Annie asked making him jump. He'd assumed she'd already be downstairs at the speed she usually travelled around at. That girl was always running as if her feet were on fire.

Looking at his daughter, his smile dropped slightly at the concerned expression on her face.

"What's t' matter?" he soothed as he walked in her direction. As he bent and relaxed back on his heels, Annie's small body barrelled into his chest almost knocking him back.

"Are you gonna leave again?" he noted the start of tears developing around her eyes and the slight jut of her bottom lip.

Slowly, he swiped his large hand over her head and through her blonde curly hair that was identical to Beth's.

"Why d' ya ask that, baby girl?"

Her head dropped and her toe rubbed the carpet as if afraid to say. His tanned, rough fingers curled under her chin to raise her face back to his own.

"Talk to me" he told her, "tell me what's got ya all upset"

"You left mama" she replied with a whimper.

He pulled her in and cuddled her once more, "I ain't goin' anywhere" she looked at him as though she was unsure whether to believe him "You promise?"

He chuckled and chucked her chin "I ain't gonna ever leave my girls"

A beaming smile broke out on her face before she wrapped her thin arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she whispered "I love you, daddy".

Realising that she still hadn't answered Merle, Beth cleared her throat, "She's good".

Merle nodded in response pleased with the news, "And Daryl?"

Beth sighed. In all her years with Hershel, he had always taught her and Daryl that life and love was about forgiveness. After Daryl had left, she never thought she would be able to forgive him for leaving her when she needed him most, but she had. The problem was she wasn't sure she was ready to forgive Merle and she didn't know if Daryl was either.

"Please?" Merle questioned, although to Beth it sounded more like he was begging.

She nodded, "He's okay".

Beth watched as relief swept across his face. She knew he cared for his brother, there was no doubt about that, but both herself and Daryl were hurt by his actions and the fact that they almost lost each other forever.

"Listen, I-" Merle started as he reached towards the back pocket of his jeans only to be interrupted.

"Beth, honey. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a call for you"

Beth looked up at Karen who was smiling kindly at her before glancing back to Merle, "Give me two minutes" she offered and he slumped in his seat as she left to take the call that had come in.

Grabbing the receiver, Beth put the phone to her ear and turned to watch Merle in the booth she'd just been sat at.

"Hello?"

"Miss Greene?" a male voice asked.

Beth frowned, "Speaking"

A throat cleared on the other end before they began speaking. After they introduced themselves and explained the reason for their call, Beth went into autopilot. It was a day she'd been hoping would never happen and to be honest she wasn't sure that she hadn't dreamt the entire call.

Replacing the handset, she tried to plaster her best smile on her face but was met instead with a concerned gaze from Karen. Ignoring the worried faces of those closest to her, she walked back to the booth where Merle was waiting.

Merle knew the call hadn't been good news the moment Beth sat back down and instead of continuing with what he'd been hoping to do to win back his family, he knew it would have to wait.

"Everythin' okay?" he drawled as he looked around the café.

Beth's head snapped in his direction as if realising that she was sat with him again. He saw tears grow in her eyes as her chest heaved with every breath.

"I'm sorry" she stuttered as she rose from her seat, "I can't do this now, I'm sorry."

Merle rose from his own seat at the same time and tried to reach for her again. His concern growing at her sudden change.

"Beth" he tried but she waved a hand to stop him.

"Merle, please. I can't do this now" she moved to walk past him, but Merle was quicker.

"Is it Daryl? Annie?" it was the only thing Merle could think of that would make Beth act so strangely.

Upon hearing Annie's name, her face paled and Merle swore he heard her whisper "oh my god" under her breath before she shook her head and swept past him to grab her coat.

Even the woman that had come over to tell her about the call looked shocked at Beth's actions but allowed her to leave. Concerned for Beth and his family, Merle rushed after her into the late afternoon sunshine.

"Beth?" he yelled causing her steps to falter. He quickly jogged to her side and spotted the tears on her face. Automatically he reached out to wipe one with the rough pad of his thumb.

"Get in the truck" he told her "I'll take y' home"

Beth didn't even object as he steered her towards his truck or when he helped lift her up to the seat. Slamming the door, he quickly ran around the front before jumping in and cranking the engine.

Neither of them spoke to the other, but he didn't miss Beth whispering to herself.

"Who's gonna find ya? Who ya talkin' about?" he tried but Beth continued to whisper to herself.

Focusing on the road ahead, Merle ran through everything he could to determine what could have been said on that damn phone call to make Beth react this way. He was still oblivious when they reached her house. Stopping the car, he left it idling as he jumped out and ran back around to help Beth out. She didn't even appear to notice that they'd arrived at her home.

Placing a hand on her elbow, he walked her towards the door. They'd just stepped up the few short steps to the patio when the door was ripped open and a livid Daryl stood glaring at him.

"What the hell did ya do to her?" Daryl demanded when he looked at Beth. Immediately he moved to snatch her from his brothers hands.

"I was at the diner" Merle admitted, "She got some call and then hightailed it out of there"

Daryl frowned at his brother and would have responded with a few curt words, but the slight whimpering from the woman in his arms that was clearly frightened stopped him.

"Beth?" he tried.

As if realising where she was, Beth melted against Daryl's body and began to sob, "They're letting him go! He's gonna find us! Oh my god, Annie, we can't let him hurt her"

Merle frowned as Daryl bent and swept Beth up into his arms, "Who's she talkin' about?" he questioned with concern as Daryl turned his back on him and headed back into the house.

Daryl's shoulders slumped before he glanced back over his shoulder to where Merle stood, "Her father! They're releasing her father from jail"

The door closed but Merle stood frozen to the spot at Daryl's revelation. He'd been at the hospital when Beth had confided in Daryl about what her father had done after Daryl left. She'd almost lost her life that day. Feeling the same anger that he knew his brother would likely be feeling, Merle jogged back to his truck before pealing away from the curb.

He drove and drove with nowhere in mind. He wanted to hit something, he wanted to hit someone. But instead, he just followed the trail of the roads. He hated that Beth was so scared. He hated that because Daryl hadn't been around, that her old man had been able to hurt her the way he did. He hated himself.

It was only when he pulled up to a set of traffic lights that he saw a sign that signalled "Bentava Prison". It was like a sign from God. It was a place that Merle had once been incarcerated himself, but it was also the place that would keep his family safe, and maybe, just maybe allow him to redeem himself.