Chapter 3 - A familiar face
"Hey! Ya took the wrong turn!"
"Just gotta make a quick stop."
"What the hell, Merle?" exclaimed Daryl. "We gonna be late for work!"
Merle pulled the truck up in front of Tiny's bar and killed the engine, ignoring Daryl's complaints.
"The fuck? Y'ain't havin' a drink before we get to the garage. That's dumb, even for you!"
Merle rolled his eyes as he typed a short message into his phone. "Just pickin' somethin' up."
"From Tiny?" asked Daryl, stupidly.
"Naw. From Lady. Girl's got my order." Merle replied distractedly, focused on the bar door.
Daryl's chest constricted sharply. "Lady?" He choked out, a name he hadn't heard in years. "Lady?! Y'don't mean Cassie, do ya? Cassie Leddon?"
But Merle ignored him, keeping his eyes on the building.
Daryl chewed anxiously on his thumbnail. It couldn't be, surely... Merle couldn't possibly mean...
And then a young woman appeared from the side door of the bar and jogged over to the car, blonde hair streaming behind her. Daryl's breath caught in his throat and his stomach gave a violent flip – a startlingly visceral reaction to someone he hadn't seen in nearly 10 damn years. It couldn't be...
But it was. He'd recognise those eyes anywhere. Those lips. That whole fucking-
It was her. Out of all the damn people his brother could be meeting... it was her.
"What's up, Doc?" came her cheery greeting as she leaned in Merle's open window. "Lovely morning to do a dodgy deal!"
Merle chuckled. "And ain't ya the sweetest dealer I ever had, huh Lady?"
Cassie peered around Merle, and did a double take, the grin fading fast from her face. "Shit... Daryl?" she breathed, stunned.
Daryl shot a nervous glance at the woman who was somehow even more beautiful than he remembered.
"Hey." he mumbled, sinking down in his seat trying desperately to recover from the shock of suddenly having her standing only a couple of feet away from him after nearly a decade of biting absence.
"Oh, ya know my baby brother, lil Darlina, over here?" Merle asked, as he reached over and ruffled Daryl's hair.
"Fuck off." Daryl muttered, shoving Merle's hand away, dropping his eyes to his lap.
Cassie's eyes flicked between the two men. "Your brother." she breathed, still trying to process her shock. Her eyes finally settled on Merle. "M.D." she said to herself quietly, mulling his initials over, finally joining the dots. "'D' for Dixon. Right." After another moment of staring, she gave herself a little shake, and tried to regain her composure. "Uh, yeah, we know each other from school days. Nice to see you again, Daryl. Been a long time."
Daryl could only manage a quick nod, his eyes only momentarily flicking to hers before alighting back on his lap, but the softness of her tone wasn't lost on him.
"Just started working here, huh?" asked Merle.
"Yeah, few days ago. Was over at Luigi's but it went under - he had to close the doors last week. Real shame. So, Tiny took me on. I'm on days at the moment, but I'll be moving to nights soon and pick up a few more shifts. Should keep the wolf away from the door."
Merle snorted. "Keep it away? Thought you were all about inviting 'em in?"
A pink tinge blossomed on Cassie's cheeks, and she rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Doc." She pulled a crumpled, folded envelope from her back pocket and discreetly tucked it into Merle's big hand. "Little something extra in there, compliments of the Wolfe." Extra emphasis on the last word. "Anyway, I gotta get back inside now. Catch ya soon."
"Thankin' ya, Lady. Next beer's on me." Merle called with a mock salute.
"Believe that when I see it!" laughed Cassie, already walking away, then she stopped and lifted a hand to Daryl, who was still side-staring at her from the passenger seat. "Bye, Daryl."
Then she was jogging back across the lot to the bar, her tiny jean shorts riding up as she moved, both men staring until she was out of sight.
Merle glanced at his brother, breaking his reverie with a swift punch in the arm.
"Ow!" muttered Daryl, with a savage glare.
"Yer droolin' like a damn bulldog!"
"Ain't." Daryl flushed, crossing his arms moodily.
Laughing at his brother's discomfort, Merle punched him again then eyed his brother up as he gunned the engine and started to drive.
"Where did I... Cassie... Cassie..." he murmured, mulling the name over as he tried to link it with old, dusty memories. "Holy bitch ass fuckin' shit - that's the girl you had a teeny little hard on for at school, huh?" Merle guffawed with glee. "Cassie! Didn't know that was her fuckin' name. Just goes by Lady. I remember ya goin' on 'bout her – saw all them pussy little love hearts you drew 'round her picture in your yearbook! That's right!"
"Fuck off!" Daryl retorted angrily as he fixed his glare out the window and pulled his arms tighter around himself.
Merle cackled loudly. "Well fuck me sideways, baby brother! Don't tell me ya still got your unrequited schoolboy crush on her! Tell ya now - ain't no point in sniffin' round her. She ain't for you. Surprised she even remembers ya damn name."
With a loud huff, Daryl continued to stare out the window, then, after a long moment, he shot a glance at his brother. "What's with callin' ya Doc? She think ya one of the damned dwarves?"
With a good-natured snort, Merle gave a low chuckle. "Saw my keyring, started calling me the Doctor. Fuckin' name seems to've stuck around her and Jase and them." He gave a toothy grin. "Can't complain. Been called a lot fuckin' worse."
"I didn't know she was back in town." remarked Daryl. "How long's she been back around for?"
Losing interest in the conversation already, Merle shrugged and tapped on the steering wheel. "Dunno. Just seen her 'round a bit lately."
Daryl was silent for a while, then spoke up again. "Why ya pickin' stuff up off her?"
"Fuck is this? Twenty fuckin' questions 'bout your Lady love?" Merle glared at his brother, then heaved a bored sigh. "She's doin' some runnin' for Jase."
"Huh." Daryl considered this for a moment. "That what all that wolf shit was about then?"
"Yup." Merle started fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station. "She's bumpin' uglies with him too."
"With Jason Wolfe?" Daryl wrinkled his nose at the thought of that scumbag. Jase was the cousin of Skuggs, Merle's good buddy. He was also the resident dealer on this side of town with a reputation as a cracked out volatile asshole. Daryl was having a hard enough time getting his head around the fact that Cassie was back in town, let alone trying to even begin to comprehend why a girl like her would want anything to do with a jackass like Jase.
Darting back into Tiny's, Cassie let the side door slam behind her then leaned heavily against it.
That was Daryl.
And Merle was his brother.
How the hell had she not figured that out sooner?
She'd met Merle about two months ago and had seen him around at a few parties since then – hell, she was the one that had seen his keyring, and joked, 'M.D.? Is that your initials or your qualification?' and ended up dubbing him 'Doc', which had given them all a good laugh and kind of caught on. But not once had it fucking occurred to her to ask what the 'D' actually stood for.
She'd been thinking about the other Dixon ever since she'd arrived back in town months ago – not to mention countless other times over the years – wondering what he was up to, how he was doing, if he was still even around the area - not realising how close to that information she'd been this whole time.
She'd wanted to seek Daryl out. Damn, she had wanted to.
But she'd been held back by the memory of that look on his face the last time she'd seen him - the hurt, the hardness. The look that she had put there. And really, it's not like they had ever been friends, so what would they even say to each other? Clearly not much considering how he'd acted just now – like she was the last person he wanted to see. Cassie sighed. It had been so long. He probably had never even given her a second thought.
"Lady, ya look like ya seen a ghost!" exclaimed Tammy as she bustled out from the kitchen, pushing at her peroxide blonde beehive, even though it was held solidly in place by a can of hairspray. In her late 50's, Tammy was the self-proclaimed long-suffering wife of Tiny, and co-owner of the bar. She prided herself on knowing nearly everyone in town and all of their business too.
"Feel like it." muttered Cassie, drawing her hand over her face. "I just realised that Merle and Daryl Dixon are brothers."
"Ahh." Tammy nodded. "That they are. They come in here all the time. Ya don't wanna get too close to Merle, mind. Can't keep himself outta trouble for long. Daryl turned out to be a good lad, though. Despite all the shit that was thrown his way. Did ya keep up with Daryl?"
"What?" said Cassie in surprise. "No, no, we weren't friends. I haven't seen him since..."
Tammy tsked as she shook her head. "Your momma told me about that night. Damn shame that-"
She was interrupted by Tiny's roar from somewhere out the back.
"Tammy! Fuckin' sink's blocked again! Gimme a damn hand, wouldya?"
"Oh, for Pete's sake." grumbled Tammy, rolling her eyes. "Do I gotta do everything around here?" Then raising her voice, she hollered back to Tiny. "I'm comin', I'm comin'!"
And Cassie was left with thoughts of Daryl and that night and her one big regret that she had dragged around for nearly ten years.
