Here we come to an integral point in Merle and Beth's relationship. This is an offshoot of SOA Loving Mom's Winter Heat, Chapter 81, 'Wrong Name Dixon' so read that first. I think everyone will enjoy this :)

Bad stroke of luck

Beth smiled to herself. She and Carol had kept the lemonade mix a secret since the last run and today they were going to break it out. She sang to herself as she poured glasses for lunch. Merle had told her that he'd be working on the old junker truck out in the carport so she was going to deliver his lunch and maybe get a little makeout action on the side.

As she served people for lunch she thought about how the Woodbury residents were finally starting to fit in at the prison. There were quite a few interesting people including the Vanover family who had a daughter just a year or two younger than Beth. Beth had had a few conversations with Anna and found that they shared some common interests and she was hoping that a friendship would develop. It had been difficult being the only teenage girl around and she thought it would be nice to have someone around who understood.

She frowned a little bit when she thought about Anna. On a couple occasions when Anna wasn't looking Beth had seen Merle give Anna an appraising look - the type of look Beth had only ever seen on his face before they were together. Beth was prettier than the average girl but she had to admit that Anna was almost supermodel status and it made her and many of the other women insecure. When she brought up Merle's attention to her he had brushed it off as harmless looking to make sure Anna was safe.

She shook off those thoughts as she rounded the corner into the carport. Merle was underneath the truck swearing and adjusting something with a wrench. Beth smiled and plopped on the ground next to him. "Hey," she said. "Got your lunch!" He stopped swearing and wiped his hand off on an oily rag. "Mmmmmm sugar. You'll spoil a man what with deliverin' lunch...them nice neck rubs...", he rolled out from under the truck to look at her and continued with an evil smile, "...all them blow jobs." Beth gasped and said "Merle!" in mock indignance.

Merle grinned and raked her body with his eyes. She handed him his food and sat with him while he ate. "There's a little more lemonade," she said. "I'll sneak some out before everyone comes in for dinner." His voice rumbled in his chest, "I'll have to find some way to thank ya later." Beth bit her lip and looked at him with lust. "What about now?" she asked. He lifted his eyebrows in surprise and ran his forefinger between her breasts. "Good God-fearin' gal probably wouldn't feel right 'bout creatin' a spectacle outside where anybody could see."

She giggled and pushed him back on the creeper, straddling him and rubbing her breasts on his chest while she kissed him. He growled and kneaded her ass while she writhed on top of him, her hair falling down like a curtain around their faces. He muttered filthy things to her and she giggled and teased his mouth with her tongue. Her hands went under his shirt to his nipples when...

"Ahem. Um sorry guys," stammered Carl. Beth sat up suddenly, blushing. Carl looked around at everything except them lying on the creeper and said, "Beth, Carol needs you to clean up because Judith is teething." Beth stood up and wiped her hands off on her pants. "OK," she said breathlessly, embarrassed that Carl had seen her acting in such a way. Merle chuckled behind her. "Stick around boy, might larn somethin'." Beth blushed again and said, "Hush Merle!" She grabbed the dirty dishes and stood up, noticing that Anna had come out into the prison yard to get some air. Beth waved and went into the prison.

As she was cleaning she noticed leftover lemonade in the pitcher. She poured it into a glass and walked it out to the motor pool for Merle. When she came around the corner she had the shock of her life. Merle was partially hidden from view behind the old truck but she could see that he was massaging a large bulge in his pants and his hand was moving to unzip them. And his attention was focused on an unsuspecting Anna who was rubbing on sunblock while dressed in her string bikini.

Beth's heart stopped and she heard the glass she was holding shatter on the pavement. Merle jerked his head towards the sound and shock registered on his face as he realized what he had been caught doing. Beth wheeled around and she never felt her feet hit the ground as she streaked towards the prison.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

"Fuck!" Merle swore. "God damn it!" He adjusted himself and gave chase to Beth. What the fuck was I thinkin'? How fucking stupid could I be? The shock and horror on her face stabbed him in the chest like a hot poker. He knew this one was going to be bad. He had thought it was funny when Daryl got in hot water because he said Anna's name during sex two days before. Carol was still punishing Daryl but now it didn't seem so goddamned funny.

Her found her in her old cell curled up in a ball on the bunk. She was hyperventilating and her hands clutched at her hair. "Sugar," he started. Beth huddled tighter. "LEAVE ME ALONE, she said loudly. He tried to sit down on the bunk but she kicked at him. "C'mon angel, talk ta me." Beth started crying and shouted, "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Merle tried again, "Ya got me all hot, just wanted to rub one off right quick. Didn't mean nothin'," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. Beth leaped off of the bed and he saw something he had never seen in her eyes: fury. She used the momentum of her leap to push on his chest with both hands, pushing him out the door with each thrust. "LEAVE. ME. ALONE. YOU. CHEATER!" she said with each push.

Merle pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered what the hell to do. Beth was back in the bed crying into her pillow. He felt a nudge and looked to see Rick standing next to him. Rick sidled nervously and said, "In my experience, when they say it like that they mean it. Best to give her some space." Merle regarded him with hostility at first then his shoulders slumped in defeat. He walked into the kitchen where Daryl was trying to talk to Carol who was shushing a fussy Judith. She was ignoring him like he wasn't there. Carol looked at Merle with daggers in her eyes. Fuck, she knows. He heard cowboy boots clattering up the stairs and a few minutes later he heard a loud grunt then dull thump on the floor in the next room.

He and Daryl moved to the door together and saw Merle's clothes floating from the perch like snowflakes and settling one by one on the concrete floor. His ammo bag was sideways on the floor and he could smell that the whiskey bottle inside of it was broken. "Fuck," swore Merle then he yelled upwards, "Girlie, ain't no reason to get this worked up." Beth appeared in the doorway with his spare arm blade. "NOW YOU CAN MOVE OUT AND GO HAVE SEX WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" and with that Beth screamed through her teeth and heaved the arm blade over. Merle and Daryl both retreated in case it ricocheted.

Daryl looked back at Carol who was looking at the baby but had her lips pursed and one eyebrow arched. They weren't going to get help there. "You cheat on her?" asked Daryl. Merle grimaced and said, "No, she caught me whacking off to Tits Magee out there." Daryl snorted, "I'd call ya a dumbass but I did somethin' even dumber. Ain't got no advice for ya brother, I'm in it deep mahself."

Merle swore and started picking up his things and throwing them into her old cell. She was crying furiously in their room with the door closed and locked. Hershel came in from the bathroom, saw the Merle picking up the mess on the floor and heard Beth's crying upstairs. He sighed heavily and entered the cellblock. He was just about to ask Merle if he could help the situation when he heard the door swing open abruptly upstairs and Beth appeared above. "YOU'LL NEED THESE FOR YOUR GIRLFRIEND TOO!" she yelled and a partial box of condoms bounced on the floor between Merle and Hershel. Her furious crying resumed and Merle growled, "She ain't my goddamned girlfriend, she ain't nothin! If ya'd stop for a fuckin' second I could tell ya..." Beth interrupted, "I SAW YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Hershel's eyebrows shot up and Merle explained briefly, "Whackin' off not fuc...not touchin' er." Hershel sighed. "Anna?" he asked and Merle said, "Yeah". Just then Maggie came storming in. "Where is she?" she said refusing to look at Merle. Hershel was going to point upstairs but Beth's crying led Maggie there. They heard Maggie say, "Bethy let me in!" The door opened and they heard Beth throwing herself into Maggie's arms, hiccuping as the sobs consumed her. "Oh Maggie!" cried Beth. "It hurts so bad!" Maggie soothed her and the men could hear her trying to calm Beth down. "I told you he wasn't good for you Bethy. I knew he'd cheat on you the minute he could!" and Beth cried even harder. "I didn't cheat on her!" yelled Merle, but by now he knew his goose was cooked. "Fuck this," he growled and walked out of the prison.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

He tried to talk to Beth at dinner but she would have none of it so he took overnight watch to get himself out of there. He was tired of the stares and whispers that were going on all around him. He thought to himself, I'll talk to her in the mornin' after she's had a good night's sleep. She might even laugh about it.

He caught her after breakfast. "Can I talk to ya?" he asked and he received a chilly nod in return. They went to her old cell and she stood with her arms crossed. He could see that she hadn't slept. He scratched the top of his head and started, "I can see why you was upset sugar cause I was a dumbass. But I ain't never cheated on ya and I never will. It weren't no different than lookin' at a magazine. I just needed to pop one off and go on with my day." Beth pressed her lips together and repeated, "You just needed to pop one off." Merle smiled, "Yeah sugar, you got me all worked up then ya left. I needed to do somethin'." Beth nodded and said, "So it would have been OK for me to come here and pop one off with Tyreese in the room."

Merle stiffened. That would most definitely not be OK. "That'd be different," he said. Beth's eyes narrowed. Merle swallowed and continued, "It was just bad timin' with her hangin it all out like that." Beth shifted her weight to her other foot. "Hanging what all out Merle?" Merle grimaced and said, "All that shit." Beth glared and Merle pressed on. "Hard not ta look at her since she looks a lot like you and you so purty." Beth exhaled. Being told that Anna looked like her wasn't so bad. "She looks a lot like me," she repeated a litlle less icily. Merle was relieved. He could see that she was thawing and as much as he missed her as a lover her missed her even more as his friend and confidant.

"Well yeah sugar except she's a little younger, got bigger tits," he said before he caught himself. Rick, Hershel and Glen who had been talking in the corner of the cellblock and they all stopped. Daryl groaned from the kitchen. None of them had ever seen a woman gut a man before but they had a feeling it was going to happen now.

Beth gaped and took a step back. One of her few insecurities was her breast size because of youth, genetics and food rationing she hadn't yet developed a curvy figure. Anna's breasts were at least a cup size larger and so beautiful that even Beth caught herself looking at them. "Oh," she said has her eyes filled with tears. Merle moved closer to her. "Sugar, I like yers better," he stammered. "More than a handful's a waste." "Oh," repeated Beth as the pain seared her to her core.

Her face reddened. "You never wanted me. I see it now. You just wanted the youngest prettiest one and I'm not that anymore, Anna is," Beth gasped. Merle's eyes opened wide and his face turned red with anger. He pointed his finger at her chest and bellowed, "GOD DAMMIT! You know that ain't true." Beth moved to the door, crying in earnest. "Well Merle, you'll be happy to know that after Anna gets old like me Judith will be available," she choked as she ran upstairs. Merle moved to the door to give chase and found him staring into the fiery eyes of Maggie Greene. Behind her holding the baby was a stony faced Carol. Fuck.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

The days that followed were the most uncomfortable in the history of their group. Everyone was angry with Daryl who skulked around trying to find Carol with her guard down so they could talk, and with Merle who spent a lot of time beating the crap out of stationary objects. No one was getting sleep because Beth and Carol cried through the nights. A lot of energy was being devoted towards blocking Daryl from Carol and Merle from Beth. Everyone was tired and irritable.

The night Merle got drunk was the breaking point. What he really wanted was a bag of meth or some coke to go but there was nothing like that around and Hershel kept the medical drugs under tight guard for the injured. Merle grabbed up one of the bottles of whiskey that were stashed at various locations around the prison and drank himself into a stupor. Daryl grumpily hauled him into the cell they were now sharing and dropped him in the bunk. "Set your drunk ass there and don't move," he ordered. Merle laughed and said, "Don't worry brother, I'm gonna sit right here and sing to my little angel. Gonna get her back." Daryl paced the floor in the cell. "Merle ya can't be makin' all kinds of racket, go to sleep. She don't wanna hear ya nohow."

Undeterred Merle broke into a loud rendition of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams. During the instrumental part he hollered, "That's a waltz sugar, betcha you didn't think I knew that." When that was over he started with "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. "I fell for ya like a chald," Merle crooned, "Ohhh, but the far went wald. That's me and you angel." Daryl reached over from the bunk next to him and punched him in the chest. "Shut up Merle, everybody's tryin' to sleep." From two cells over Glen yelled, "Yeah, shut up!"

Merle yelled back, "Easy for you chingchong, you got yer woman with ya. She's probably sayin nice thangs to ya and rubbin ya back and lovin' up on ya. I broke my woman's heart bein' a no good prick," Merle's scratchy voice wavered and he began to cry drunkenly. "Do anythin' to get her back but she don't want me. She figured out what a sorry asshole I am," he sniffed loudly. "Don't want nothin else but her, I'd do anything. Beth ya hear me?"

Maggie appeared in the doorway. "Hush up Merle," she hissed. The sound of Beth sobbing from upstairs became apparent. Maggie grimaced, "See what ya did?" and she ran upstairs to comfort Beth. Daryl stood amongst the groans of everyone trying to sleep in the cellblock and pulled Merle out to sleep in the kitchen that night.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

The day that Carol and Daryl made up everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Half of the burden was gone. Anna had heard about the ruckus that she unintentionally caused and felt terrible about it. At mealtimes she sat between her parents, fully clothed and quietly ate. She knew she was at fault for these problems but didn't know how to fix it. She had tried to talk to Daryl who told her in no uncertain terms to go fuck herself and to stay away from him. She was scared to death of Merle. After Daryl and Carol made up she decided to talk to Beth.

After breakfast one day she softly knocked on Beth's door. Beth was lying in bed staring at the wall, a tattered magazine lying unread in front of her. She sat up and saw Anna. "Hi," said Beth softly. Anna asked if she could come in and she sat on the bed near Beth's knees. She said, "Beth, I heard about what happened and I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of it and I'm so sad that you're sad. What can I do?" Beth looked at the girl and saw that her eyes were truthful. Beth sighed. "Well, not laying around in your bikini would be nice," she said ruefully. Though Beth knew that if she looked like Anna she'd wear her bikini every day. "Though it was ultimately Merle's fault for looking."

Anna shook her head. She said softly, "I was trying to get someone to look." Beth looked at her sharply and said, "Merle?" Anna shook her head rapidly and said, "Ew. I mean I know you love him and no offense but...ew, no. I was talking about someone else. But he didn't even notice me." Beth looked at her and saw sadness in Anna's face. "Who?" asked Beth. Anna looked down. "Tyreese. Every guy stared at me except him. It was like I didn't exist." Beth frowned. "Anna, Tyreese is my friend and I can guarantee that he noticed you. He was just too polite not to stare." Like the other morons, Beth finished in her head.

"I don't know," Anna sighed. "I've been trying to catch his eye for weeks." Beth put her hand on Anna's knee. "Have you talked to him?" she asked. Anna shook her head no. "I was too scared," she said. Beth laughed and said, "Tyreese is a fantastic guy. He's intelligent and easygoing and has wonderful manners. Plus he's hot. I think you should go talk to him." Anna sighed, "How?" Beth smiled and said, "C'mon." Beth had to admit that she felt a little superior because Tyreese had hit on her before and she turned him down for Merle.

Beth knew that Tyreese was on watch with Merle in the tower. She heated up a cup of coffee and handed it to Anna. "Tyreese loves coffee. Tell him we had some left over and you thought of him. Then ask him to sit with you at dinner. Tell him you want to hear about the NFL." Anna giggled, "I can't believe I'm doing this!" Beth reassured her, "He'll love it."

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Anna made her way up the steps of the tower and smiled when she got to the top. Both men had turned to see who it was and when Merle spotted her he growled, "The fuck you want?" His hangover was killing him. Tyreese looked to him and said, "You ARE smooth Dixon, no wonder women are beating the door down to get to you." Merle sneered and turned his back to the both of them.

Anna told Tyreese that she brought the coffee for him and he smiled and thanked her. She blushed and asked if he'd sit with her that night at dinner and he told her he'd be honored. She shyly said goodbye. As she left she smiled widely and made her way back to the prison. She had some serious primping to do.

Tyreese turned back to Merle and he appraised him for several minutes. Merle turned and snapped, "You see somethin' interestin'?" Tyreese nodded, taking in Merle's haggard appearance and unshaved face. "You really did fuck things up didn't you? And it looks to me like you're hurting for it. Maybe you ain't the monster you portray, maybe there's a man under there." Merle glared out the window. He didn't need this Dr. Phil bullshit.

Tyreese crossed his arms around his barrel chest. "You love her?" he asked quietly. Merle's head snapped towards him and his eyes blazed. He stared Tyreese down for a few moments then said quietly, "Yeah, I love her." Tyreese shook his head. "Because I know she loves you for whatever reason. You see, this would be the time to be honest with me because if you really don't love her then you and me gonna have some problems." Merle turned so his entire body faced Tyreese and Tyreese saw the pain unveiled in his eyes. Merle's shoulders slumped a bit. "I love her. Don't know what else to do to get her back. Even asked her to marry me but she just got madder. Said I'd be cheatin' on God," said Merle.

"Mmmm hmmm," said Tyreese. "Time for a third party to step in. Merle do you remember what it was like to be 20? Insecure about anyone that's ever even looked at your partner? When we get older we lose that sensitivity but your girl is on her first love and every woman in your past, present and future is a threat." Merle sighed in exasperation. "But I ain't never HAD no woman," he said. Tyreese laughed. "You've been a playa for a long time, that might even be worse for her. Girls like her don't understand that kind of life and it scares her, makes her think she's just another number." Merle bristled, "She ain't no number," he threatened.

Tyreese sighed. "I'll talk to her before dinner, then it's up to you. If it turns out you're playing her I'll be the one that escorts you outside the gates." Merle snorted and turned back to watching the fence. Merle was the same size as Tyreese and a dirty fighter but he was limited with one hand and Tyreese was at least 10 years younger than him. He couldn't be sure who would win that battle.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Tyreese caught Beth in the kitchen before she and Carol started to make dinner. "Can I talk to you?" asked Tyreese and Beth smiled and sat down with him. Carol was tending Judith and folding clothes a few tables away and Hershel was resting at another table with his bad leg up and his eyes closed.

"Beth," started Tyreese. "Penises are a funny thing." Beth's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't expected that as a conversation opener. Hershel opened one eye out of curiousity. "They're a part of the body but they act independently. When a boy starts maturing it's out of control about 60% of the time. Our man Carl for example, you can be sure that more than half the time he's pointin' at somethin'." Beth giggled, she had noticed Carl pulling at his pants lately. She heard Hershel softly snort behind her.

"A man matures, gets some years and experience on him and he gets to where he can control it about 90% of the time. If it acts up he can suppress it with his mind. That other 10% though Beth is rough because it ain't up to him when it's going to react. He could be standing in front of the ugliest woman on the planet, someone he hates even, and that thing can jump up like a periscope. And sometimes it don't go away." Beth's jaw dropped and she hesitantly said, "Not all men." She was thinking about her daddy and her pastor and the school principal. Hershel answered behind her, "Yes Beth, all healthy men." Beth gasped and covered her mouth and Carol laughed behind her. Carol had caught Daryl in many stages of mortification before they started dating.

Tyreese looked at her with concern. "Man's only got two options, try to ignore it and hope it goes away, or take care of it. Now that doesn't excuse your man for the way he went about it, but I think that might shed a little light on where his mind was at the time. You know your man isn't the most sophisticated, right?" Beth nodded. "You're the first woman he's ever cared about. He had a fast life before this one and I think that maybe the other day he had a lapse in judgment. I've looked into the man's eyes and I can tell you that he's in pain. I think you should think about that."

Beth looked down at her folded hands. She missed Merle so badly that she could hardly stand it and when he sang the other night it took everything she had not to throw herself into his arms. She did believe that he loved her. She looked back up at Tyreese and nodded. "Thank you," she said, and he kissed her cheek and left to spiffy up for his dinner date.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Their eyes met across the room many times over dinner. His were sunken in his unshaved face and the hostility was gone from hers leaving only sadness. He cocked his head at her and she bit her lip, looking down so he wouldn't see the tears gathering. It didn't help that there was laughter and gaiety coming from the Vanover table where Tyreese was charming his way into Anna's heart. After Mere was finished he made his way over to her and asked if he could talk to her and she nodded.

She sat on the bunk and he stood over her with his arms propped on the upper bunk. "What do I gotta do?" he asked quietly. "I don't wanna live this way, lookin' at ya from across a room." She started to cry and covered her face with her hands. "You hurt me," she cried. "I'm so mad at you and I hate it that I miss you so much." He squatted down to be level with her. "I'm sorry," he said in a quiet rasp that sent a shiver up her spine. She moved into his arms and melted into him and he held her tightly with a sigh of relief. "I told ya I wouldn't be very good at this love shit," he said wryly and she gave a little laugh. He murmured, "But I do love ya and I don't wanna live without ya. Can I come back to our room?" She nodded slowly and he pulled away to kiss her, then he moved to his knees and buried his face in her lap. His arms encircled her waist and she draped her upper body over his back with her arms around his waist. They pressed into each other tenderly and people walking by the cell sighed with relief. After the makeup sex they'd all get some sleep.

Everyone cleaned up and bedded down for the night and Merle and Beth headed upstairs. In the soft glow of the moonlight she slowly pulled off her clothes and stood like a pale statue. He kissed her roughly until she whimpered and moved to her breasts, showing his appreciation for them with great enthusiasm. He pulled off his clothes and got to his knees in front of her. As his nose touched her pubic hair he inhaled and thought he would explode with her clean scent. He growled and she said, "Stop."

Merle looked up at her questioningly. "Pray," she said. "What?" he questioned. She looked down at him and said firmly, "Ask God for forgiveness then you can have me." Is she shittin' me? he thought. He thought he heard a bark of laughter from Carol and Daryl's room down the hallway. "Aw girlie, I don't know how to do that shit," he complained. She took a step back and he couldn't smell her anymore. He swore then grimaced. "Fine," he said. He looked down at his lap where his hard-on bobbed merrily. "Dear God this is Merle. I'm sorry I whacked off lookin' at another woman though it's your fault for givin' me this hair trigger dick and ya gave me the purtiest girl in the world and so I'm thankful for that and next time I need to whack off I'm gonna jam it in her so hard it'll make her eyes cross. Amen."

He looked up expectantly and she smiled and stepped close to him again, pressing her mound against his face. She lifted one foot onto the bed so she was open for him and he groaned. "Now make me happy," she ordered.

OK, I have to admit this is one of the funnest ones I've written. Hope you enjoyed it! -Athlete Girl.