Different Siblings, Same Problems

To Beth's great relief, and surprise, Merle agreed to leave her alone for the night and let her get some sleep. But only, he reiterated more times than she cared to count, because she'd finally listened to him and gone and found Daryl and put some actual goddamn effort into the whole thing. She chose not to remind him that she'd spent all day driving around in search of an answer - and only because she did that, did they even get any sort of clue that could lead them toward an answer. It would just go in one ear and out the other, anyway. Talking to Merle was literally like talking to a ghost. Or, more accurately, a brick wall.

She collapsed into her bed shortly before midnight and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. And she slept hard because when she opened her eyes, it felt like she'd just laid down seconds before. But the sun had risen and was shining through the thin curtains on her windows, beginning to fill the bedroom with morning light. The clock beside her bed told her it was almost 7 am.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and groaned, stretching out her arms and yawning. She wanted to roll over and go back to sleep but she'd already stayed in bed later than usual and it was only a matter of time before Shawn or her dad came knocking at the door to check on her.

"Mornin', sunshine," Merle chided from where he sat at her desk, one leg crossed over the other and an array of old magazines and books scattered on the floor around him. He had a recent issue of Teen Vogue open on his lap.

Beth sat up slowly and blinked away the sleepy fog clouding her vision, sighing heavily. Just looking at him made her want to roll over and hide in bed forever. But she knew he'd never allow that.

She furrowed her brow and frowned. "What're you doing?"

"Readin'," he answered, gazing down at the open magazine in his hands.

"I see that, but - how?" She looked pointedly at the mess of magazines and books strewn across the floor. "So what, you can jus' pick up stuff whenever you want now? First my phone, now my books?"

He shrugged without looking up from the page. "Guess I ain't as powerless as you thought I was, princess. Ol' Merle's got his ways."

She sighed. "Whatever… You don't need ta be going through my stuff though, ya know. I have some very personal things in some a those - "

"Oh, gimme a break," he cut her off, licking a finger and turning the page of the magazine. "I already saw all that. Wasn't even that interesting. I was tryin' ta figure out how that dense teenaged brain a yers works, but now I jus' got more questions than when I started."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a teenager, I'm - "

"Yeah yeah, whatever," he waved a hand and cut her off, his gaze still skimming down the glossy pages before him. He squinted his eyes and made a sound of confusion, asking, "Why the hell ain't I ever heard of 'kegels' till now?!"

Beth cringed and shook her head, throwing the blanket off her legs and standing up. "I'm gettin' in the shower. Just… stay here an' keep educating yourself."

He grunted an agreement without looking up, turning the page and squinting down at the words. She sighed and gathered together a clean outfit before leaving the bedroom and retreating into the bathroom for a much-needed peaceful shower.

When she returned, fully awake and refreshed with fresh clothes on and her hair wrapped up in a towel, she found Merle exactly as she'd left him. He was nearly to the back cover of the issue of Teen Vogue in his hands. She relished in the ever-so-rare silence and padded barefoot around her room, tidying up and making her bed before sitting down at her vanity table and brushing out her hair. She was almost done applying her usual light layer of makeup when she heard Merle grunt, followed by the soft plop of a magazine landing on the floor.

"What's this - 'fifty tips to make your man horny'?" He commented, and Beth glanced over her shoulder to see him picking up an old Cosmopolitan. She rolled her eyes and went back to her routine while he laughed and said, "What the fuck're the other forty-nine after 'touch his dick'?"

She heard him flipping through pages for a few minutes while she finished her hair. Then he sighed with disappointment and muttered, "Not one of these goddamn tips says ta touch his dick. Y'all females are really bein' led astray out here. No wonder yer such an airhead, blondie." He tossed the magazine down to join the others in a pile on the floor, frowning in disappointment.

Beth stood up and stepped away to grab her shoes and slip them on, her frustration already growing. "It's too early for this. Can you at least gimme a chance to get some coffee in my system before you start up with your bullshi-"

"Bethy, who're you talkin' to?"

Beth's lips snapped shut and she looked to the door with wide eyes. Merle laughed loudly, quick to observe the stranger.

"Well, well - now who's this green-eyed babe? Nice tits," He said. "Now see, blondie, that's the kinda broad I would happily hump. Might even give 'er a call back afterwards."

"Maggie," Beth said, stunned. "What're you doin' here?"

Maggie's eyes flicked around and took in the appearance of Beth's room, which was mostly normal save for the books and magazines scattered around the desk. And thank God that Merle hadn't picked another one up - there was no way Beth could explain a floating magazine.

Nonetheless, Maggie gave her a puzzled look and said, "Um - Mom's anniversary…? I told you on Sunday that I'd be here today."

Beth blinked and shook her head. "Right - sorry. I forgot what day it was. I've been kinda busy this week."

Maggie's brunette hair had grown out a few inches since Beth had last seen her and she tucked a strand behind her ear, a hint of concern remaining in her jade eyes. She was tanner than before, too - she must've had an active summer. She leaned against the doorframe and shot a suspicious glance toward the area where Merle was standing before meeting Beth's eyes again.

"Dad told me you've been babysittin' for Rick a lot more lately," she said. "You have a late night? Shawn said you weren't at breakfast."

Beth frowned, immediately able to see the real intentions behind Maggie's innocent questions. Maggie could be nosy. But worst of all, she was a worrier and sometimes - well, most of the time - it was unnecessary. Just because Beth had experienced a couple of difficult years after her mom died didn't mean she was going to go spiraling out of control again anytime soon. Or ever. She'd learned her lesson, she didn't need Maggie poking and prodding and trying to make something out of nothing. She wasn't a dumb teenager anymore. But she wasn't sure her big sister would ever actually see her and respect her as a real adult; Beth might always be a dumb teenager in Maggie's eyes.

"Yeah - I had a late night at Rick's. But I'm fine," she replied defensively. Then her expression softened and she added, "I promise."

Maggie pursed her lips but nodded anyway. "Alright. Well, Glenn will be here this evening. Me an' Dad were gonna sit down and do some planning for the memorial dinner, you wanna help?" She tucked her hair behind her ear again, hand lingering next to her face.

Beth shrugged and bent down to finish tying up her boots, eyes focused on the laces. "I dunno. I kinda told Rick I'd watch Judith again today. He's working overtime, so…"

It was a simple enough lie. No reason to stray from what she'd passed off the day before. And she really had no desire to help in the planning for her mom's annual memorial dinner - but she wouldn't dare tell Maggie that. She wasn't even sure she wanted to attend this time around, but that was a whole other problem to be dealt with later.

Maggie sighed like she was frustrated, though Beth had no idea what for. Because she wasn't jumping at the opportunity to help them plan? Whatever, her sister could be upset all she wanted. Beth had bigger fish to fry - and not much time to fry them.

"Okay well, there's still some waffles and bacon left if yer hungry," the older Greene muttered, then turned and disappeared down the hall before Beth could utter so much as a "thanks." Seconds later, she was loudly descending the stairs.

Beth shut her bedroom door tightly and began picking up the mess Merle had made. He was sitting on the bed now, smirking mischievously.

"So that's the big sister you mentioned, huh? She's a lot hotter than all them pictures make 'er out ta be." He let out a low whistle and chuckled to himself. "Awful nosy though, ain't she?"

Beth scoffed, stacking magazines back inside their boxes. "Definitely. She can be pretty controlling, too." She paused and raised her head, giving Merle a meaningful look. "Kinda like you are with Daryl - or were."

Merle frowned and narrowed his eyes at her indignantly. "Fuck off, you don't know shit."

Beth merely shrugged and continued cleaning up, smirking to herself.


The kitchen was empty when she finally went downstairs, though there was a plate of lukewarm waffles and bacon sitting on the table for her as well as a fresh pot of coffee. She looked out the window to see Maggie and their dad off in the distance, brushing down Maggie's favorite mare and happily chatting under the morning sun. Shawn was nearby, changing the shoes on his prized Appaloosa with the help of their cousin Arnold. Otis and Patricia were with them, too.

It appeared everyone was eager to talk with Maggie now that she was home for a few days. Beth hoped this would be a good thing - maybe her sister's presence would distract everyone and she could work on this whole getting rid of Merle thing in peace without having to make up a dozen more lies.

"So you gonna call Daryl or what?" Merle prodded as soon as Beth had sat down and taken two sips of coffee.

She took another long gulp of hot coffee then picked up a piece of bacon and began eating it while also pulling her phone out, unlocking the screen and scrolling through her contacts to check if Daryl had actually left his number. She'd been so exhausted the night before, she hadn't even thought to check. But then again, what reason did she have not to take him at his word?

Sure enough, there was a brand new name in her contacts list: Daryl Dixon. And the number was local.

"Well?" Merle insisted.

Beth sighed and set her phone down to start in on her waffle. "Yes. Can I have some breakfast first? Jeez."

He groaned and stalked out of the room, grumbling under his breath, annoyed and bored with her for the time being. She drained her first cup of coffee in two more swigs.

She kept her phone out, sitting on the table with Daryl's contact info open, her eyes set on it as she finished her breakfast. The more she thought about actually calling him, the more nervous she felt. What if he didn't answer? Or what if he did…? She wasn't sure how to react either way. All she knew for sure was that her next step absolutely had to be driving out to meet the Swamp Witch. The map was still folded and tucked safely inside her purse, and just thinking about pulling it out and trying to navigate her way down to the swamps of Florida made her want to throw up. She had to force down the last couple bites of waffle, followed by another hearty swig of coffee. She had a feeling today would be even longer than yesterday.

Merle appeared at the table while Beth was washing her dishes, startling her when she turned around and noticed him. She shot him a glare and resumed what she was doing.

"I really hate it when you do that," she muttered. "You could at least announce yourself."

"Why? So you can bitch that I talk too much?" He snapped. "You ain't ever happy."

She rolled her eyes and finished up, drying her hands and stepping over to pick up her phone.

"You gonna call him now? Finally?"

"Yes, I'm calling him," she replied, irritated. Her finger hovered over the Call button on the screen and she frowned, suddenly overcome with self-doubt.

"What're ya waitin' for? He's not asleep, if that's what yer wonderin'," Merle goaded.

"It's not that, I... " She sighed and worried her lower lip. "What if he doesn't answer?"

He lifted his eyebrows and looked at her like she was stupid. "We call 'im again…? The hell else would we do?"

"He said - "

"He said, if ya don't hear back then tough shit. Even if he doesn't answer, we can call again."

"And what if we don't hear back? How long are we supposed to wait?"

Beth looked at Merle expectantly and his gaze flicked away, thoughtful. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a second before shrugging and replying, "Long as we can."

"That kid said - "

"I know what the fuckin' boy said. I was there too, princess. But I ain't givin' up on my brother. He's stubborn but he always comes around - go on an' mark my words."

She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't think we can operate at your brother's leisure here, Merle. I have ta drive down there today. I have to find out what this witch lady knows."

He sucked his teeth and stared down at the table with a creased brow, arms crossed over his chest. Then he grunted and muttered, "Whatever. Jus' call him already so we can hit the fuckin' road. He'll wanna come along. I know it."

Beth didn't allow herself to hesitate for another moment. She pressed the Call button and put the phone up to her ear, heart beginning to race as the first ring came from the other end. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until the ringing ceased. She let it out and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a robotic voice telling her that she'd reached a voicemail inbox.

She gave Merle a frown and he rolled his eyes, and as soon as she heard the beep on the other end, she spoke into the phone as clearly as she could despite her somewhat shaky voice:

"Hey Daryl, it's Beth. Um… I'm drivin' down there today. To that place on the map. The kid who gave it to me said something really weird about time and waiting too long and - well, I just can't put it off. So if you get this, please call me back." She paused, then added at the last second, "And if you don't, I'm gonna go out there anyway. Really soon - like, today. So don't feel obligated. Okay, um - bye."

She hadn't sounded nearly as confident as she'd hoped but it didn't matter now. She hung up and shoved her phone into her pocket while Merle shook his head and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Left a voicemail, huh? Good luck. I used ta leave him voicemails all the time but he never fuckin' called me back."

"Prob'ly 'cause you were always drunk or high or somethin'," she mumbled.

"That don't matter," he quipped.

She was about to argue back but just then, the back door opened. She spun around to see Hershel and Maggie entering the kitchen, all smiles and laughter and joyful chitchat. Merle went silent at the table, smirking like he was watching an entertaining show.

"Mornin', Doodlebug," Hershel greeted, stepping in and giving Beth a peck on the forehead. "Good to see you decided ta join' the living today." He smiled, a playful spark in his bright blue eyes.

"Sorry, Daddy. I meant to be up earlier but Judith wore me out yesterday," Beth smiled innocently.

He chuckled and nodded. "It's alright, I know she can be a handful sometimes. You deserve to sleep in every now an' then."

"Did you leave us any coffee?" Maggie asked, striding over to the half-empty coffee pot and grabbing herself a clean mug. She turned around and held the mug up, squinting at it and pointing with her other hand for Beth to see. "What's this - did you wash this? It's all spotty."

Beth glanced at her sister and scowled, turning away and choosing to ignore her. She put on a pleasant smile for her dad and told him, "Rick's working overtime today, I forgot to tell you last night. I - "

"I already told him you're ditching us to go babysit," Maggie interrupted, pouring coffee into her 'spotty' mug.

"It's okay, Mags," Hershel assured. "Beth made a commitment, she needs to stick to it. If she told Rick she'd babysit for him today, there's no need to go back on her word. We can plan just fine without her." He nodded to Beth and asked her, "You need the truck again?"

Beth nodded, wondering if there was something she was missing. But she didn't put too much thought into it. Her head was already full of planning out her drive to the swamp and worrying that Daryl wouldn't call back.

"The keys are where you left them," Hershel said. "Just don't stay out too late tonight, okay? Glenn will be here soon and I'd like us all to have a nice family breakfast together in the morning."

She didn't ask why Glenn was coming down and sticking around for the memorial dinner when he'd never stayed before, but she didn't really care either. She figured this was just part of Maggie having a steady boyfriend for once so she'd probably better get used to it. Daddy seemed to like him, at least. And it wasn't like Beth had any qualms with the guy. He'd been nothing but kind and caring and respectful since the first time Maggie brought him around. It was just… Beth kind of thought it was a little soon to be allowing him to join in on anything involving Mama's anniversary - someone he'd never even met. Wasn't it a little too early to be considering him family?

But then again, what did she know? She'd only had two real boyfriends and neither had reached the point of being serious, let alone anything more than a high school romance. Maggie was the one with all the experience in that area.

And Beth knew better than to try and disagree with anything her big sister did.


Beth spent as much time as she could waiting around for Daryl to call back. She promised her dad that she'd feed the chickens before she left, which she did - while Merle meandered around and grumbled under his breath about how stubborn his little brother was. When she was done with the chickens, she decided to attempt another call. What could it hurt?

He didn't answer. She didn't bother leaving another voicemail nor did she send a text, even though Merle was insisting that she should. Daryl would respond if he wanted and she knew that blowing up his phone wouldn't make him respond any faster. Or at all.

She killed another twenty minutes in her bedroom by making sure she had everything she needed and attempting to map her route on GPS. It would be a hefty five or six-hour drive, depending on how well she could navigate the northern swamps of Florida. But the hand-drawn map that she'd been given led her down a lot of backroads and through lesser-known, mostly abandoned areas. She wasn't even sure she would have cell reception throughout the whole trip. So she resorted to memorizing the map as best she could, hoping she didn't end up lost somewhere in the swamps with no service to find her way back. She also hoped that her dad wouldn't notice the 700-something new miles that would suddenly be added to the truck's mileage - but that was a problem to deal with another time and easily the very least of her worries.

An hour passed without any word from Daryl and Beth had grown so antsy, she couldn't sit still. She knew she couldn't waste any more time if she wanted to get back home before 3 am. Wordlessly, she gathered her things and headed for the truck, grabbing the keys on her way out the door. Merle followed, practically bouncing on his heels and talking about driving out to Daryl's work and forcing him to come along. She ignored this preposterous idea and focused on calming her nerves before climbing behind the wheel.

Hershel and Maggie were out in Annette's old garden at the side of the house and Beth waved goodbye to them as she climbed into the big black Ford. Merle appeared in the passenger seat before she'd put the keys in the ignition.

"That sister of yers is somethin' else," he muttered casually, gazing out the window and watching Beth's dad and sister as she put the truck into gear and began driving down the driveway toward the road.

"Mmhmm," Beth hummed, only half-listening. She checked both ways before pulling out into the road and speeding away from the farm.

He chuckled quietly and shook his head. "I mean, shit - why's she gotta play all coy with that damn ring? If she wanted ya to acknowledge it, why didn't she just say somethin'? Fuckin' women. They're all like that, I tell ya."

Ring? Beth furrowed her brow and glanced at him questioningly. "What're you talking about?"

"How all you females expect everybody ta be goddamn mindreaders or some shit. It's ridiculous, if ya ask me. I - "

"What ring?"

He scoffed. "Shit - ya mean you really didn't notice, blondie? She wasn't exactly bein' inconspicuous about it. I thought you were just ignorin' it…"

She blinked and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, replaying her conversations with Maggie. That's when it finally clicked: that hand she kept lifting for no reason… her left hand. There'd been a brand new ring sparkling on the third finger.

Shit, Beth thought. No wonder she was being so passive-aggressive. She was trying to get me to notice. And so was Daddy. But I'm so damn distracted with everything else today.

She groaned and sighed heavily. "Of course… Glenn must've proposed. That's probably why he's comin' down for the memorial. Ugh - now she's gonna be even more pissed that I didn't congratulate her right away."

Merle laughed, all too amused by her multitude of problems.

"Well you jus' keep diggin' yerself into a deeper an' deeper hole, dont'cha sweetheart?"

to be continued...