Another Annoying Hindrance (or Sisterly Bonds)

Beth slipped in through the backdoor without making a sound, shutting it behind her and blinking to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she wouldn't have to lie to her dad or sister tonight.

Then the light flipped on, blinding her for a second. She turned in surprise and found Maggie standing at the other side of the room, clad in pajamas and bare feet with an expectant expression on her face.

Crap. I was so close.

"You didn't answer your phone," she said, quirking one carefully-sculpted eyebrow.

Beth tensed, hiding the Djab Idol behind her back inconspicuously. "I was busy." It wasn't a total lie.

"You were gone all day," Maggie went on. "It's nearly two in the mornin', Beth."

Beth sighed. She'd already been pushed to her limit by Merle's taunting remarks throughout the day, she didn't have any patience left to spare for her big sister.

The snark was evident in her tone when she replied, "It's barely one-thirty."

Maggie narrowed her eyes.

Beth frowned. "So yer point is… ?"

Maggie sighed. "So my point is: Rick's workin' a helluva lot of overtime, or…?"

Beth struggled not to roll her eyes. Even though he wasn't there, she could practically hear Merle's retort in the back of her head: "Nah, we were talkin' to a Swamp Witch, seein' our future an' shit. Mind yer business, ya nosey broad."

She shrugged and responded, "Obviously. You think I wanted to come home this late? I'm exhausted and I don't need you drillin' me about how late I'm stayin' out."

Maggie frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever. No need to get so defensive," she said. "I was worried - is that so wrong?"

This time, Beth actually did roll her eyes. "You weren't worried, yer just actin' like I'm sixteen again. Dad doesn't care how late I stay out, so why should you? I'm not a teenager anymore." She chucked the keys in her hand down on the table and crossed the kitchen, moving to push past her sister. She kept the doghead idol clasped in one hand and concealed behind her back.

Maggie reached out and grasped Beth's free arm to stop her. "Stop acting like a teenager and I'll stop treating you like one."

Beth halted and stood before the kitchen door, staring up at Maggie with indignation. She was only a few inches taller but she still towered over Beth like she always had.

"I just wanted ta make sure you'd be up for breakfast in the morning," Maggie said. "If you wanted to stay out with your boyfriend, that's all you had ta say. You don't have ta be a bitch about it."

"I'm not being a bitch," was Beth's first response. Then, "Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend, I was babysitting."

Maggie released Beth's arm and her frown deepened. "Like I said: stop acting like a teenager an' I'll stop treating you like one. You don't need to lie about babysittin' just 'cause you wanted ta stay out late with Daryl."

Beth was reeling. She could feel her cheeks turning red no matter how hard she tried to suppress it, and her voice came out half-cracked as she struggled to sound confident. "First of all, Daryl is not my boyfriend. We're barely friends. And secondly, I wasn't even with him."

Without missing a beat, Maggie said, "Bullshit. You do realize how loud his bike is, right? Even from down the road." She scrunched up her nose and added, "An' you reek of cigarettes. And mud."

Beth scoffed. "If you don't believe I was babysitting, just ask Rick yerself. I don't have any reason to lie."

"I already called Rick a few hours ago - when you wouldn't answer. He was at home with Judith. He said he hasn't talked to you since last week."

Shit, Beth thought. She could feel her face growing hotter beneath Maggie's intense stare, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was running out of lies. How would she explain this away?

"So you were just out all day an' nearly all night with somebody who's 'barely a friend'?" Maggie prodded. Beth pursed her lips.

Now what? Try to explain exactly what she and Daryl had been doing all day? How they'd met? How his dead brother was literally haunting her? Try to convince Maggie that she wasn't a raving lunatic who was dragging some other poor innocent soul down into her pool of insanity? Or make up another lie - something that would quell her intrusive big sister's curiosity for the time being?

Beth had no other choice. She sighed in resignation and leveled her gaze with Maggie's.

"Fine," she said, rather convincingly. She even went as far as to lower her voice, as though she were revealing an embarrassing secret. "You caught us. Me an' Daryl are dating."

Maggie's green eyes lit up and a grin spread her mouth wide to reveal straight white teeth. She reached out with both hands and grasped Beth's wrist, but this time it was with joy rather than trepidation. "Aw, Bethy!"

Beth was overwhelmingly grateful that Merle wasn't present to witness this.

Before Maggie could let out any squeals of excitement or voice any unwanted opinions, Beth firmly added, "But I don't want Dad to know. Or Shawn. Or anybody - okay? Not even Glenn. It-it's still new. Really new. We're not tellin' anybody."

Maggie raised her eyebrows as her grin faltered, releasing her grasp on Beth. "But Shawn said Daryl already stopped by with some lame excuse about you leavin' yer phone at Rick's - Dad likes him, he said he was real polite an' everything. Is that how y'all met? Through Rick?"

Beth nodded along without fully realizing how deep she was allowing herself to get in the lie. "Yeah - yeah, basically. He did that on his own, I didn't think he'd wanna uh, meet Daddy so soon. But seriously," she said, snatching at the first opportunity to change the subject. "Don't say anythin'. Especially not to Dad or Shawn. It's not that big a deal - 's not like we're engaged or anything."

She grabbed Maggie's left hand and lifted it up between them, pointedly glancing at the ring on her third finger.

"Oh, so you did notice?" Maggie quipped, smirking as she wriggled her ring finger to show off the sparkly diamond. "I thought you were just bein' a brat."

Beth chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Wow, thanks. Yeah, of course I noticed."

Once again, it wasn't a total lie. Sure, Merle had noticed first. But she would've admittedly been a lot more concerned with the new ring on her sister's finger if it weren't for the dead guy and the strange kid giving her a hand-drawn map to a supposed Swamp Witch.

Maggie pulled her hand back and her smile faded, eyes still locked on Beth's. "Seriously, though - aren't you happy for me? You said you liked Glenn, right?"

"Well yeah," Beth assured. "Why would you even ask that?"

Maggie shrugged. "I guess you've been so wrapped up in Daryl since I got here, it jus' seemed like you didn't have time for me."

Beth frowned. "Not even. You were bein' kind of bitchy about it, don'tcha think?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, but then she smirked. "Maybe a little." Her expression softened and she leaned in, wrapping Beth in a brief hug. "I just wanted to know that my baby sister approves. You're important to me, Bethy - I trust you. I want you ta be happy, too."

Beth shrugged, suddenly battling the urge to pour her heart out to Maggie. "I know. Me, too. I'm glad yer happy. Don't worry, I'm happy too."

Maggie furrowed her brow skeptically. "But yer keepin' it from me. You don't have to lie about Daryl, ya know. If yer worried that me or Shawn or Dad will judge you, we won't. I promise. Daryl's a good guy. He might be a little old for you, but… it's not like Dad has any room to talk."

Beth grimaced, though she tried not to let it show. Her mom had been eighteen years younger than Hershel, but they hadn't been connected by a dead brother's ghost and a demon deal. She pushed those stupid thoughts out of her head and tried to focus on keeping up a believable facade for her sister.

"Please stop," Beth said honestly. "It's not like that. I just - I had a long day. I really wanna go to bed so I can get up in the mornin'."

Maggie nodded in understanding and her green eyes flicked down towards the arm that was hidden behind Beth's back. But then she met Beth's eyes and said, "Alright. But we're gonna talk about this more tomorrow - okay? And have you thought about invitin' him to Mama's memorial service?"

"No," Beth responded quickly. "I don't think that's a good idea, um - yet. We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm goin' to bed."

"Fine," Maggie agreed. "I'll see you in the mornin'."

Beth quickly walked away, keeping the idol concealed behind her back and then behind her purse until she was sure that her sister had retreated into the kitchen. Then she climbed the stairs two at a time, reaching the landing seconds later. She slipped into her bedroom and shut the door tightly behind her, a whole new slew of thoughts invading her head. Mostly: did I screw up by telling Maggie that me and Daryl are dating? We agreed not to tell anybody the truth, but I don't think he had this in mind as an alibi. And for just a moment: he would never date me, and he'd probably be pissed that I even lied about it. Not that I care - I wouldn't date him either. He's too standoffish.

Nonetheless, as soon as she'd stripped off her clothes and collapsed into bed, she fell asleep. And just before she slipped into unconsciousness, she briefly wondered what kinds of things Merle was overhearing from Daryl right now. If it was anything at all.


Beth's dreams were plagued with images of all the shadows that had crept around her in childhood; the frantic woman pleading through the playground fence; the old couple walking out of the burning house; Merle calling out to her from the middle of the woods. Then a fleeting flash of Papa Legba's charcoal skin and gleaming red eyes, his cold and malicious laughter echoing off everything. She slept restlessly, tossing and turning. And when her alarm went off and she jolted awake, she opened her eyes to find the bedroom filled with bright sunlight. The blanket was tangled around her legs and the pillow was shoved down by her arm. She sat up and looked around, taking a moment to decipher between her dreams and reality.

She had just begun to recall and accept the events of the night before - making plans with Daryl, arguing with Merle, lying to Maggie - when her eyes flicked over and landed on Merle. He was standing next to the closed bedroom door with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back against the wall. She couldn't tell if he'd been watching her and waiting or if he'd only recently appeared.

He noticed she was awake. "Mornin', sunshine."

Beth cleared her throat and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, reaching out to grab her phone from the nightstand while greeting Merle casually, "You been there all night?"

"Nah," he responded. "Few hours. The hell was you dreamin' about? Seemed pretty intense."

"I'ono," she grumbled. "I don't even remember now."

"'Dyou even take my advice 'bout diddlin' yer skittle? 'Cause it don't sound like ya did. Kept mumblin' in yer sleep. Sounded like a fuckin' Poetry Slam in here."

Beth ignored him and checked her phone wordlessly. There was a text from Daryl that had arrived at 6 am: Gonna call Rick. Text me when you're done with breakfast. She replied to tell him she was awake and to text her when he contacted Rick. Then she set her phone back down and got out of bed, stretching her arms and legs.

"Darylina didn't so much as mention you last night," Merle commented. "Or me. Hell, bastard barely spoke a word. Jus' sat around broodin' all night like a fuckin' teenager."

"And did anyone come by ta murder him, by chance?" Beth asked sarcastically, leisurely moving about as she gathered a clean outfit to take with her to the bathroom.

Merle sneered. "Yer jus' a regular goddamn comedian, aint'cha? That ugly li'l statue's got you all cocky now." He gave a limp-wristed wave towards the Djab Idol that sat atop her desk, the hand-written spell tucked safely beneath its weight. "Tell me, princess, can you even hear me from up on that high horse?"

She rolled her eyes and brushed him off, snatching up her phone as she headed towards the door. "Loud an' clear, unfortunately."


Beth was right in the middle of shaving her armpits when an unexpected sound echoed inside the bathroom, making her jump in surprise. She immediately hissed in pain as the razor in her hand slipped and left a tiny knick under her arm. She cursed under her breath and rinsed off the blood.

"Hey - soapy tits! You hear me?!" Merle repeated, louder this time. "You fuckin' alive in there? Don't make me come behind that curtain now."

"Yes!" She snapped, irritated. "You made me cut myself, asshole. Why are you in here?"

"We got a situation with ol' Nosey Nelly," he said.

"Who?" She asked, distracted by the knick on her underarm that wouldn't stop bleeding.

"Yer sister!" Merle explained, his voice higher and more impatient. "That broad's nosin' through yer shit, blondie. How you gonna explain the black magic spell sittin' on yer desk?"

Beth nearly fell over, panic immediately flooding her system. Holy hell. Oh, shit. Shit shit shit. She scrambled to rinse off the last of the soap on her body and turn off the shower, calling out, "Close yer eyes, I'm comin' out!"

"I'll do ya one better - I'mma go assess the situation. Jus' cover up yer tits an' come do some damage control ASAP. She done went through yer purse."

Beth yanked back the shower curtain to find that Merle had already disappeared. She rushed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her chest, tucking it beneath her arm. She didn't bother to dry off before she raced out of the bathroom on wet feet.

Oh Christ, how am I gonna explain a black magic spell sitting on my desk? Did she see the map to Morgan's? Did she put two and two together already?

Beth's bedroom door was open and sure enough, Maggie was inside. She was sitting at the desk, the Djab Idol in one hand and the paper in the other, gazing down at both rather curiously. Merle loomed behind her. They both turned to look at Beth when she entered, all dripping hair and wet towel.

"Well I assessed it," Merle said. "And it's bad. Hope you can lie yer ass off."

Maggie narrowed her eyes, frowning. As though she weren't the one who'd just been caught rifling through someone else's bedroom.

"What're you doin' in here?" Beth asked, clutching at the towel around her chest with one hand.

Maggie pointedly looked Beth up and down and echoed the question: "What're you doing?"

Beth huffed out a frustrated breath. "Yer the one in my room, goin' through my stuff. Why're you in here while I'm takin' a shower?"

Maggie carefully set the idol back down atop the desk, though the paper was still in her other hand. She gestured toward them both. "Bethy, what is this stuff? Why d'you have it?"

Beth blinked, reflexively glancing to Merle. Like he'd be any help. He shrugged, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Tell 'er yer switchin' religions," he suggested. "Maybe you wanna dip yer toes inta that Wiccan shit."

She frowned and steadied her gaze on Maggie, who was staring at her expectantly. "It's…" What? It's what? A gift from Daryl, her new fake boyfriend? "It's, uh - an artifact…"

Okay, that was actually kinda the truth.

"An artifact?"

Beth nodded wordlessly.

Maggie looked even less convinced than before. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where did you go yesterday? I saw all the new miles put on the truck - hundreds. And that map in yer purse. But this - " she gestured toward the doghead idol, held up the paper in her hand - "doesn't make any sense. Why're you and Daryl sneakin' around an' what the hell are you two up to, exactly?"

Beth blinked. Her mouth had gone dry and all the most ridiculous fabrications were running through her head. None of them would ever work, though.

Merle sighed in defeat. "Well shit, I hope you got a good story cookin' up in that pea-sized brain a yers."

She didn't. Not even the fake boyfriend thing would make sense - not that she was particularly eager for Merle to find out about that one anyway.

Maggie's face turned stonier with every second that Beth didn't respond, until she was practically glaring a hole through Beth's skin. Finally, she stood from the desk chair and took a step forward. Beth remained rooted to her spot, water dripping down her legs and from her hair onto the floor, still racking her brain for a decent explanation.

"Beth," Maggie said very firmly, her voice lowered and almost coaxing. "Who were you talkin' to when I walked in here yesterday?"

Wait - what does that have to do with anything?

She blinked a couple times and stared back at her big sister stupidly. "I - what? Nobody. I was talkin' to myself."

Maggie raised her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced.

Beth laughed awkwardly. "Whadd'you think, I had somebody hidin' in the closet or something?"

Maggie shook her head. Her frown deepened. "I don't know what to think."

"Christ blondie, jus' shut up already," Merle remarked. "Plead the fifth. Always worked fer me."

Before Beth could think to snatch it away, Maggie opened the paper in her hands and gazed down at it. Her eyebrows furrowed together and finally, Beth's reactions kicked in. She reached out and grabbed the paper from her sister's loose grasp.

Maggie didn't attempt to snatch it back. She set her suspicious glare on Beth.

"What is that, Beth?" She demanded.

Beth's heart was hammering inside her chest. She glanced at Merle, who was standing with his hands held out before him, watching her expectantly.

She started, "I…" But every possible alibi had already faded away before it could reach her lips. "I plead the fifth."

Before Maggie could react, Beth spun on her heel and left the room, rushing back to the bathroom while Merle hooted with laughter and Maggie cried after her, "What - are you outta yer mind? Hey, don't you walk away from me! There is no pleading the fifth in this house!"

Beth locked the bathroom door behind her and folded the paper back up, setting it aside so she could hurriedly dry off and dress with shaky hands. Maggie was outside the door within seconds, pounding on it and demanding to be let in.

"Beth, yer scaring me!" Maggie called through the thick wooden door. "What the hell was that? Where did you go yesterday? And what on earth have you been doin' with that Daryl Dixon guy?!"

Beth tried to tune out her sister's voice, toweling her hair dry with clumsy hands and watching her pale face in the mirror. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to get out of this? If she didn't give Maggie a satisfying explanation, there was no doubt she'd get Daddy and Shawn involved. And then she'd really be screwed.

"Beth! Open the damn door before I get Shawn to break it down!"

Merle appeared with a hand over his eyes. "'Bout damn time you take my advice. See? It worked, jus' like I told ya. You got yer tits covered?"

She could see him peeking through the gaps of his fingers and she rolled her eyes. "Yes. But I can't stay hidden in here forever. She's not gonna take that as a real answer." She kept her voice low, hands still shaking as she ran a brush through her damp hair.

Maggie kept banging on the door, louder and louder with every moment that she went ignored. Beth shoved the folded-up banishing spell into her jeans pocket, silently vowing to never leave it out in the open again.

"So sneak out the window," Merle suggested with a shrug.

Beth shook her head, sighing. "That's not an option."

"Goddammit, Beth! Open this fucking door!" Maggie was getting angrier and angrier.

"Why the hell's she care so much anyhow?" Merle asked. "The fuck's she so worried about ya for? What'd you tell 'er 'bout Daryl?"

Beth bit her lip and hesitated. "Nothing," she said. "She just knows we've been hanging out. She's always been really - overprotective."

Merle huffed out a humorless laugh. "Overprotective? More like over-fuckin'-bearing. Tell 'er ta fuck off an' mind her business."

She just wants to help, Beth almost said. But Merle wouldn't understand that.

"That's it, I'm goin' ta get Shawn!" Maggie declared, her voice muffled by the door. "And he's with Dad so that means Dad's gonna wanna know why you locked yerself in the bathroom, too!"

Merle threw his hands up. "Well, guess that's it. The jig's up. I'll do what I can ta get you outta the psych ward blondie, but I ain't gonna make no promises."

Maybe if I explained it all, she wouldn't think I'm crazy, Beth thought. Would it even be worth the risk, though?

"Okay, here I go - I'm goin' ta get Shawn and Dad!" Maggie called out. "Boy, Dad's gonna be pissed when he has ta fix a busted door!" Her voice was slowly getting farther away.

I have to help Daryl, but I can't keep lying to my family.

Her breaths were coming in shorter gasps, her mind racing. Suddenly, a faint voice popped into her head: Look into your home and into your heart, lass. There is a bond beyond worlds residing within you and another you love.

And now she was wondering how she hadn't contemplated those odd words from Morgan before this. Admittedly, she'd been a bit caught up in the whole murderer on the loose/demon deal/soul in trouble thing. But now that she was taking a moment to mull it over… Well, someone she loved could only be so many people - maybe Maggie? Or Daddy? Or even Shawn? There weren't a lot of people that resided both within her home and within her heart.

But what if it was ill-advised? What if the person that had spoken through Morgan had been wrong? What if Beth really was the only person with a Gift in her whole family - what if no one that she loved could ever actually understand it, let alone help her? What if there was no 'bond beyond worlds' to be found?

Well… it wasn't like she had any other choice at this point.

Maggie was standing at the top of the stairs when Beth whipped open the bathroom door and stepped out into the hall. As soon as she emerged, Maggie set her angry green eyes on her younger sister and spoke sharply.

"Are you gonna talk to me now?"

Beth nodded weakly, still struggling to calm her trembling hands. "If you promise not to get Dad or Shawn involved."

Maggie paused, seemingly taken aback by the request. But then she shrugged and stepped away from the stairs. "Fine. As long as it's not somethin' bad - like dangerous or life-threatening."

Beth pressed her lips together and glanced away.

Maggie took a step closer and spoke firmly. "Bethy, if yer in danger, I have to get Dad an' Shawn involved. So we can help you."

Beth sighed and shook her head. "It's not me that's in danger."

Maggie quirked a brow. "So yer not… doin' drugs or something?"

Beth looked at her sister indignantly. "No! Of course not. It's nothin' like that. I'm not stupid, Maggie. I'm not sneakin' around doin' anything illegal."

Merle scoffed from behind her. "I wish. Be a lot cooler if ya did."

"Okay, I believe you," Maggie said, lowering her voice. "I just - you've got me really worried, Beth. I can't figure out what's goin' on, but it's just not like you."

Beth frowned. "I know, okay? I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise to listen - and to keep it between us. Nobody else. Not even Glenn."

"Everything?!" Merle repeated. "Even the talkin' to ghosts shit? Christ, this'll be a trip." He chortled.

Well I kinda have to explain the talking to ghosts part, dumbass, Beth almost quipped back. She stopped herself at the last second - talking to Merle out loud had become a bad habit far quicker than she'd ever expected.

Maggie opened her mouth to argue but Beth cut her off before she could start.

"I mean it, Maggie. Promise me."

"Okay," Maggie nodded, giving Beth a suspicious once-over. "I promise."


A few moments later, Beth and Maggie were sitting in Beth's bedroom with the door tightly shut and locked. Merle perched himself in the desk chair, one leg resting over his knee and his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned back and watched. Beth sat in the middle of her bed, dressed for the day except for shoes, her legs criss-crossed beneath her. Maggie sat on the edge of the bed with one leg over the edge and the other folded beneath her, her body turned towards Beth and her full attention set on the younger Greene.

Maggie looked anxious, but Beth was certain that she looked even more anxious at the moment. She forced herself to focus on Maggie, though Merle's smug face was ever prevalent in her periphery. He licked his lips like he was waiting for a show to begin. And maybe he was, she reckoned.

In the silence of the bedroom, the tension hung over them like a blanket of electricity. Beth didn't know where to start. Maggie stared at her, eyebrows raised, an expectant expression settled on her face.

So I can see ghosts - no. No, too blunt. So I've had this weird thing all my life and I didn't really know if it was real or not - yeah okay, good start. But how do I say it without sounding like I have some kinda undiagnosed psychosis? Crap, I wish I could just call Morgan and have him explain it for me.

Beth's mind was going a million miles a minute but it still wasn't quick enough to form a comprehensive sentence before Maggie grew concerned. Her brows knitted together and Beth could see her fiddling with the diamond ring on her finger nervously. Then she was breathing out heavily through her nose, frowning. And Beth still hadn't figured out what the hell to say.

"Well…?" Maggie asked softly, looking Beth up and down for the thousandth time.

Beth sighed. She began fiddling with the ends of her damp hair. Her voice caught in her throat and stayed there.

Maggie pursed her lips and waited expectantly for several long seconds. When Beth didn't so much as open her mouth though, Maggie spoke.

"You an' Daryl aren't really dating… are you?"

Beth's stomach plummeted and Merle laughed loudly.

"Oh shit, is that what you told her?" He laughed again. "Nice one, blondie. Daryl's gonna be thrilled when he finds out! Damn, did'ja tell yer daddy that, too?" His belly shook with more laughter and Beth struggled to tune him out.

"No," Beth answered, her voice coming out hoarse past a dry throat. She kept her eyes locked on Maggie's. "I just met him like, less'an three days ago."

Maggie didn't appear particularly shocked. She simply nodded. "So what's he gotta do with this? You were with him all day yesterday, weren't you?"

Beth cleared her throat and steadied her voice. "Yeah. But we weren't doin' anything bad."

"Well it can't be good if you had ta lie to Dad about it," Maggie countered.

Beth sighed, shaking her head. "I didn't lie because it's somethin' I shouldn't be doing. I lied because… there's jus' no way to explain it to him. He'd never understand. He'd think I'm crazy."

Maggie's brows knit together in confusion. "That's not true, Bethy. Whatever it is, I'm sure Dad would jus' wanna help. He knows yer not a little kid anymore - I think he knows it better than I do sometimes."

Beth scoffed. "Ya think?"

Maggie frowned. "I'm sorry, Beth. It's hard, okay? You'll always be my baby sister, whether yer still a baby or not. Even when you're sixty-five an' I'm seventy-one, I'll always see you as my little sister who needs protected. I can't help it."

A pang of guilt shot through Beth's chest. "I know," she responded quietly. "I just…" But the words dissipated on her tongue and fled her altogether.

Maggie waited for a moment before asking, "Just what? Tell me what it is, Bethy. I wanna help. Whatever it is… I swear I won't judge you."

Tears pooled in Beth's eyes and she didn't even realize until she'd blinked and one fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and straightened her back. Maggie's face fell at the sight of the tears.

"I'm not… crazy," Beth started, her voice coming out choked. She cleared it and tried to push away the knot that had formed behind her tongue. She struggled to meet her sister's eyes, to hold back the tears that wanted to fall at the hint of fear in Maggie's expression. "And it's gonna sound like I am - but I'm not. Okay? I know what's real and what isn't and trust me, I've questioned my own sanity more than enough over the last few days."

Maggie nodded stiffly. "Okay," she said. "I believe you."

Beth stilled her trembling bottom lip and forced herself to speak clearly, to maintain eye contact with Maggie. Even then, her voice came out no louder than a whisper.

"You remember the Clarks down the road?"

Maggie nodded wordlessly.

"And the fire? The one that killed 'em?"

Another silent nod.

"I saw them that night. When we were all standing out in the road, watchin' their house burn up. I saw the Clarks walk out. They were holding hands and-and they were… happy."

Maggie's brows furrowed. "But they died, Bethy," she breathed out. "They burned up together in their bed before the firemen even got there."

Beth nodded, fighting back more tears. "I know. But I saw 'em. I watched them… cross over."

Maggie blinked. Then the corner of her mouth twitched, like she was about to smile. But she didn't. She just cleared her throat and said, "Oh."

Beth glanced away, down at the comforter on her bed. She licked her lips and hesitated. Then she said softly, "You know how I almost died when I was born?" She dragged her eyes up to meet her sister's.

Maggie's lips parted and a deep crease had formed on her forehead. "Mom an' Dad told you?"

"No," Beth said flatly. "But someone else did." She hadn't been certain that Maggie would know, but she was pretty sure. Their parents had always told Maggie all the things they thought Beth couldn't handle.

"What - who?" Maggie asked. "Dad said the umbilical cord got wrapped around yer neck before you came out. You weren't breathing. They were scared. They only told me once, when I was little. They never talked about it. Ever."

Beth nodded. "Yeah. I know about it now… I drove down to Florida yesterday. I talked to a guy who knows things. He - he knew all about me."

She could see Maggie swallowing hard, green eyes becoming watery. "Who did you talk to in Florida? How could he have known anything about you?"

Beth shrugged. "I can't explain it. I'm not gonna sound logical, no matter how hard I try. But… he knew. He's a witch. Like - a real witch. A legit one."

She paused to gauge Maggie's expression. The brunette didn't flinch. She didn't even laugh. So Beth went on.

"He said I have a… Gift. Like him. There's other people with Gifts, too. Maybe in our family. We have this thing that we can do, and we don't choose it - 's jus' kinda inherited, I guess. But… he saw it all. He explained it to me and I can't…" She cleared her throat and swallowed hard, the knot growing thicker, more tears pushing their way forward. She fought them back, forced her voice to come out strong and sure. "I can't deny it. 'Cause it makes sense. And I don't want it… this Gift. I never wanted it - but now I'm stuck with it."

Maggie was frowning heavily, face gone pale as she stared at Beth with parted lips. As though she wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, but there was also a flicker of something else.

Maybe realization. Maybe fear. Maybe both. Beth couldn't quite tell.

Then Maggie blinked and asked, "And what does that mean?"

Beth's hands clenched around her own thighs and she forced herself to maintain eye contact with her sister, forced the words to form inside her head and her mouth before she released them.

Her voice came out shaky and uncertain despite her better efforts: "Daryl's brother died a few weeks ago - his name's Merle. Everyone thinks he hung himself. But he didn't. He's dead, but his soul is stuck on this plane of existence. He can't cross over because he made a deal with a demon; he wagered his own soul and Daryl's without even realizing what he was doing. And he needs my help. Both of them do. 'Cause besides that Witch in Florida, I'm the only one who can see an' hear Daryl's dead brother."

Maggie's jaw dropped. Her eyes went wide as saucers and she blinked rapidly, staring at Beth speechlessly.

Beth let out a long breath, her heart still racing. But Maggie wasn't throwing her into a car and driving her to the nearest psych ward yet, so that had to be a good sign.

She quickly went on, the words pouring from her mouth in an uninhibited emotional outburst, "It's complicated - I can explain everything if you want. But I swear it's the truth. I'd swear it on Mama's grave. Merle Dixon is haunting me, Maggie."

Merle scoffed but miraculously retained his silence.

"He showed up in the woods the other day an' he hasn't gone away since. I had to track Daryl down and convince him to hear me out, then some kid gave me a map an' said I needed to come meet a Swamp Witch, and-and we drove all the way to Florida and this guy told me things about myself that nobody could've ever known. I - "

"I believe you."

Beth stopped abruptly. She blinked and stared at Maggie, perplexed. "You do…?"

Maggie nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. Her face was drained of color and her eyes were pooling with unshed tears. "This is it, isn't it?"

Now it was Beth's turn to be confused. "What?"

Maggie swallowed and roughly wiped a hand across her eyes. She sniffled and said, "This is the part where you need my guidance - where you turn to me for strength. You need the kind of unconditional love that can only be found in your sister. 'Cause I'm the firstborn. 'Cause our souls share an eternal bond."

The heavy weight within Beth's chest suddenly felt ten tons lighter, oddly comforted by the words. Though she was still baffled, a bit taken aback at the way Maggie was talking. "Well yeah, I guess. But… what d'you mean?"

Maggie's mouth quirked into the most curious half-smile. Then she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, leaning in just a little closer as she gazed into Beth's eyes.

"I have a secret, too," she whispered. "But you can't tell anybody… Not even Glenn."

Beth's breath hitched in her throat and she froze. "I… I won't."

The half-smile grew into a sad sort of grin and Maggie raised her eyebrows.

"I know yer not crazy. I know that whoever you talked to had to be a Witch… 'Cause I met a Witch, too," she said softly.

Beth couldn't help it: she gasped.

Merle was speechless and wide-eyed in his seat. He let out a low, "Whaaaaaat…"

Maggie's sad grin flickered. "A long time ago, when you were still really little. I tried to forget it. Tried ta tell myself it was a weird dream or somethin'. But no matter how hard I try, I'll never forget it…" She glanced away briefly. "She told me things that no one should've ever known. And fer all these years, I hoped she was wrong…"

Beth was dumbstruck. She didn't know what to say.

Then Maggie added, "But everything she said turned out to be true."

She met Beth's gaze with an intense stare of determination, though it was tinged with regret. Or pity. Or perhaps empathy. Whatever it was that somehow connected them now.

Beth felt like she was six years old again, asking her big sister for a juicy middle school story that was surely embellished to make it seem much more interesting than it actually was. Except she knew it was the truth this time. She knew that Maggie wouldn't say such a thing if it weren't completely honest. And in a way, that scared her even more than the prospect of being locked up in a psych ward; to be reassured that everything she'd learned was very much meant to be, and that Morgan's intervention hadn't been such a random happenstance after all. To think that the answer to her deepest question had been right there all along. Right in her own home, just as Morgan had foretold.

Had it really been so simple this whole time? Sitting right in front of her without her even knowing? Had it really been Maggie that she needed to turn to rather than some distant relative or ancestor that Beth would never be able to contact?

Maggie wasn't a liar. And Beth knew for a fact that Maggie would never lie to her. So it had to be true. What choice did she have but to believe it? Just as she'd believed everything Morgan told her.

"Like what?" She asked breathlessly, searching Maggie's face for an immediate explanation. "What'd she tell you?"

But her sister's expression was solemn and indiscernible, jade green eyes clouding into a hazy emerald color as they quickly flicked down and back up to meet Beth's. Maggie sighed and hesitated. Beth waited with bated breath.

"A lotta things," Maggie muttered ominously. "Stuff I didn't think would ever matter… I thought it was bullshit, Bethy. I had no idea. I've never told anyone about it. I-I couldn't. I thought she was insane, or that I was insane."

Tears welled up in her eyed and she looked to Beth with pleading, silently begging forgiveness for her ignorance. Beth felt another pang of guilt.

She shook her head. "It wasn't bullshit, though," Beth whispered. "Was it?"

Maggie shook her head as well, a tight-lipped smile forming on her face.

"No. I don't think it was. Not at all."

Beth bit her lip. There was a beat. She could taste copper on her tongue but she couldn't feel any pain, couldn't tear her curious gaze away from Maggie's glassy eyes.

"Tell me," Beth whispered hoarsely. "Tell me everything. Please."

Maggie swallowed hard and leaned back. She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before folding her hands in her lap. She looked down at them thoughtfully, stalling the silence for a long moment. Then she took a shaky breath and lifted her gaze to meet Beth's.

"You have ta understand, I was just a dumb kid. I didn't know what to think…"

to be continued...


A/N: Next chapter is kind of long but it's Maggie's flashback chapter. And probably my second favorite chapter that I've written right after the Papa Legba chapter :)