AG here – I had a tough time getting this one on paper. Hope you enjoy!
Merle's Long Day II (Daytime)
Merle snarled at his limp dick and stuffed it into a pair of pants. He heard singing from the farthest room in the hallway and knew that this was his cue to get the day started. He pulled on a wife beater on then walked on bare feet towards the high pitched morning song that went something like, "Daddy, DAD-dee, dad-EE, DADDY, daddy". The floorboards creaked under his feet when he stopped with his hand on the knob and the voice stilled expectantly. He cracked the door an inch and rasped, "Ya quiet down in there." His order was met with a shrill shriek of delight. He paused then opened the door another inch. "I mean it now, 'm gonna come in and whip ya ass," he admonished. The toddler laughed even louder then started jumping up and down in her crib as she hung onto the side rail. Her long white blonde hair was bouncing and her eyes were large and blue above her pert nose. She was dressed in a light blue nightgown and in one hand she held a pastel colored teddy bear. She clutched the bear tightly to her chest with both hands then screamed and threw her bear to the floor, waiting in breathless anticipation for his response.
Merle put on a stern face as he picked up the bear. "Found me a bear," he said, tucking the bottom half of it in the top of his wife beater. "Guess I'll keep it." Chloe held her arms out for the toy and Merle drew his eyebrows into a frown. "Ya trying ta take my bear?" he rasped. Chloe giggled in reply and said, "Mine Daddy!" Merle turned halfway from her, petting the bear in his shirt. "Mine now," he stated. "His name's Maggot." Chloe laughed and jumped up and down a couple of times then held her arms out again. "Mine. Boo." Merle turned to scowl at her. "This ain't no Boo Bear. 'S Maggot." Chloe began to look panicked. "Boo Daddy, Boo," she said uncertainly. Merle pulled the bear out of his shirt, put his mouth up to its ear and asked the bear, "Whadya say ya name was?" He held the bear's mouth to his ear, causing Chloe to erupt into giggles. Merle looked put out. "Boo?" he said in surprise. He turned to his daughter who had her arms out. "Guess ya was right," he said, handing her the bear then swooping her out of the crib. She happily wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his midsection, making sure she hung onto the bear. He carried her to the master bedroom so they could share the attached bathroom.
Chloe happily babbled to Boo while she sat on the potty, her little toes peeking out from under the hem of her nightgown. Meanwhile, Merle ducked his face in the water, combed his short hair and shaved. He admired himself in the mirror and flexed his pecs, grinning when they popped out. "Damned good shave for a one-handed man", he told Chloe, "And a damned fine lookin' man at that. No wonder ya mama can't keep her hands out ma pants." It was then that the stench of unholy death wafted in the room. "Jesus Christ, little girl, the hell ya been eatin'?" he yelled. Chloe looked at him expectantly and smiled. "Chloe potty," she sang, waiting for her reward. Merle gasped for breath as he dug in the wicker basket above the toilet. He handed her a rainbow sticker and she carefully peeled off the back and put it on her potty chart. "Fuck," cursed Merle as he lifted her off and wiped her up. "Gonna need a hazmat team for this. Go see ya mama," he ordered.
By the time he got downstairs everyone was seated and had a head start on breakfast. He sat down to find scrambled eggs, pancakes and a greasy platter with the remains of one slice of bacon on it. He quickly looked around the table. All the kids knew that bacon was carefully rationed so that Merle got three pieces every morning. Merle growled as he looked at Benjamin's plate – the little fucker had hidden three pieces of bacon under his eggs and was industriously eating the evidence. Same goddamn thing I used ta do, thought Merle fleetingly as he remembered sneaking bacon off Daryl's plate when they were kids. Merle had just raised his fork and was pointing it at the boy to rip him a new one when Beth came in from the kitchen with a large mug of steaming coffee. She set it down in front of Merle and put an arm around his neck. "Morning Big Man," she breathed as she kissed his cheek. Merle looked at her unblinkingly and pointed the fork at his son. "Fucker took my bacon…," he started when Beth straightened up and smiled down at him. She combed her fingers through her hair. "I gave it to him," she said. "He's in a growth spurt." She had to turn away abruptly when Nathan knocked his milk over onto the pancake platter and began to howl. Merle chanced a look at Benjamin to see the boy smirking down into his eggs. Growth spurt my ass thought Merle and he possessively dug into his meal.
After breakfast Beth got the kids started washing dishes and went upstairs to clean up. She came down in a white lace maternity shirt and maternity jeans, her hair braided down one side of her face and a pink ribbon holding it in place. She got the kids together, kissed Merle goodbye (with tongue) and started off for school with her brood. Everyone on the compound worked five days on, two days off. Beth taught school and worked Monday through Friday. Merle worked security detail and worked Wednesday through Sunday so he could watch Chloe during part of the week. Chloe went to Maggie and Glenn's two days per week and the remaining weekday she spent at Daryl and Carol's. Merle and Daryl had insisted on having the same schedules so that they could work and hang out together. Daryl's son Wyatt, who had just turned 16 years old, was soon to join them on regular hunts and was being relentlessly hazed by Merle.
Daryl and Wyatt came over after breakfast with their hunting gear and maps. The men used the morning to plan the next hunt and clean their weapons while Chloe danced in the front room by herself for an audience of one (Boo). Merle was close to Wyatt because he was the first-born male Dixon of the new generation. At the prison they doubted that Wyatt would live through infancy but he had proved himself Dixon tough and thrived even before the move to the new compound. From the beginning he resembled Daryl, a quiet boy with piercing blue eyes and dark brown hair, but now that he was letting his beard grow in and refused to cut his hair he was almost unrecognizable from his father. Merle looked up from a blade he was sharpening and pointed it at the teenager. "Boy, y'ain't gonna get ya no pussy lookin' like ya just crawled outta the fuckin' woods," Merle warned. "Take it from me, ole Merle's the King of Pussy." Daryl snorted sarcastically and Wyatt ducked his head to study the action on his .22 rifle but couldn't hide a trace of a smile. Merle pressed on. "Women like men a little rough round the edges, ya know, mix in a little sweat with the sweet, but god damn boy, take a bath. Ya gotta smell good enough ta get 'em within' strikin' distance. Ya still got them rubbers I gave ya?" Wyatt peered through his long hair and briefly bobbed his eyes in affirmation. Daryl glared at Merle through his bangs and Merle pointed the blade at him. "You ain't qualified to teach 'im bout pussy. Got laid once in yer life and ended up marryin' it," Merle crowed. "Thought ya was a faggot til Carol came along and got ya dick wet." Daryl looked up sharply. "Shut the fuck up Merle," said Daryl. "Carol's his mom ya fucking dumbass." Merle laughed at getting a rise out of Daryl and the banter continued until lunchtime when Beth and the kids came home for lunch.
Nathan came barreling through the house first. He was small and solid like a football player and sported a buzz cut. He thundered up the stairs to wash his hands and was the first one to sit at the table. The reason for his haste was obvious to any who knew him. Nathan was a confirmed cookie addict. Beth had made some sugar cookies and Nathan was going to do everything it took to get his. At his age that usually meant cleaning his plate at mealtimes and not thumping on Kayla. Merle sat down and appraised the blue-eyed stocky child while the other spawn crashed around upstairs. Lucky little fucker looks like his pa Merle thought approvingly as Nathan scooted his chair up and put his napkin on his lap. He decided it was time for some bonding. "Boy, them cookies went bad while you was gone. I had ta eat 'em all," said Merle. Nathan looked at warily and replied uncertainly, "Cookies don't go bad." Merle looked at him sternly. "Ya talking back to me boy?" he asked gruffly. Nathan's eyes dropped to his lap and he whispered, "No sir." Beth breezed in to catch the end of the conversation. Nathan looked up at her with tears in his eyes and said, "Mama, there's no cookies." Beth gasped when she saw Merle laughing behind the hand on his face. "Merle Dixon, did you tell him that? You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" said reproachfully then she brought the cookie container out of the kitchen to show Nathan that there were indeed cookies. Nathan smiled as Beth bent to kiss him and reassure him that Daddy was just teasing then she looked at Merle disapprovingly. His reply was lost in the roar of the crowd now seating themselves at the table.
Beth worked to put a cold lunch on the table and flounced away from Merle when he tried to get a handful of ass. "And you don't get any cookies Merle," she said tersely. Merle scowled. Well I'll just eat the fuckers while yous gone then he replied in his head. He turned his attention to his loud brood that was noisily trading gossip and stories and completely ignoring him. Merle raised his voice and threatened to beat all their asses if they didn't shut the fuck up but the silence only lasted about 15 seconds before someone started snickering and the chatter returned, louder than before. His right temple began to throb and he opened his mouth to lay down the law just as Beth sat down next to him. She looked around the table with a smile and the children obediently hushed and folded their hands in their laps. Beth beamed at them and asked Benjamin to say grace. As Benjamin began Merle glared around the table. At one time he was the meanest son of a bitch to walk the streets of Georgia. Now he couldn't get a damned cookie in his own house.
After the prayer Merle stacked his plate. Just as he was picking up his sandwich the phone rang – he and Daryl were being called in by Rick Grimes to supervise the distribution of newfound guns to the security force and residents. He kissed Beth goodbye and told her it shouldn't take too long. An hour later he returned to his empty house to find a note telling him that Chloe was with Aunt Maggie. He picked Chloe up and brought her home, setting her up in the front room with her new present from one of her cousins. It was a princess makeup and jewelry kit and Chloe was fascinated with it. Merle went to the kitchen to find that the table was cleared, dishes were in the sink and his lunch was gone. He searched the fridge but there was no roast left and someone had eaten his venison sandwiches from lunch. He growled and slapped some peanut butter and jelly on bread and took his loaded plate to the front room to watch Chloe. He sat on the couch and took a huge bite, wondering when the headache that developed at lunch was going to fade. Fucking hate peanut butter he thought.
He took a big drink of water and set his glass down to find his daughter standing between him and the coffee table. She smiled at him. "Pway Daddy," she said. She had put a sparkly crown on her head and had fake pink plastic pumps on her feet. Merle smiled at her. "That looks real purty, baby. You go on and see if there's anything else in there." He took another huge bite of sandwich and sat back on the couch to rub his temple and take a deep breath. A sharp plastic heel came down on his toe as Chloe brought him a set of feather boas. "Oof," he said, opening his eyes. She handed the pink one to him and wrapped the purple one around herself. He put the pink one in his lap and said, "I'll hold this for ya." Chloe picked up the pink boa and insisted, "Daddy pway". Merle frowned at her. "Daddy ain't wearin' that pink shit now. You go on and dance." Chloe grabbed the pink boa and walked back to the kit as Merle rubbed his forehead. She came back with the boa and two pairs of clip-on plastic earrings, one in pink and one in purple. She put it all in his lap then carefully opened a pink earring and reached towards Merle's ear. Merle opened one eye and barked, "Told ya I ain't wearing that pink shit, didn't I?" Chloe's eyes widened in shock and her face began to slowly collapse from the pain of his rejection. Merle knew what was coming and he had to act fast. He couldn't stand it when this one cried, she was the picture of Beth and she idolized her daddy. "OK hush now baby, no cryin'," he said. "Gimme the purple ones." Chloe regarded him solemnly with a trembling chin. Merle sighed. "Come on, put the purple ones on me, I'll put the pink ones on you." Chloe picked up the purple earrings and with great concentration put them on him one at a time then she smiled. "Daddy pretty," she said, clapping her hands.
"Yeah I'm purty," he said resignedly as he helped her clip the pink ones on her own ears. Merle looked longingly at his sandwich as Chloe pulled herself up in his lap, magically producing a princess book from between the cushions. "Chloe read," she announced. Merle groaned inwardly. This was gonna take forever. He looked down at her white blonde head that was studiously bent over her book. "Ya go on and read then," he said. Chloe started to 'read' the story, reciting the pages by memory and adding her own thoughts on how the story should go. Merle relaxed his head back on the couch knowing that this could take a long time.
Two hours later he was awaken by the bouncing of the front door against the doorstopper and the shouts of a bunch of kids filing into the house. He jerked his head up quickly, pulling a muscle in his neck in the process. He cursed, rubbing at the sore spot, then looked down to see Princess Chloe sleeping snuggled into him, wearing both boas and sporting smears of peanut butter across her mouth. He looked at his plate and saw that only the crust of his sandwich was left.
Kayla and Nathan thundered upstairs arguing while Alaina and Benjamin trailed behind, discussing the events of the day. "He's just gross," said Alaina as she passed the couch. "The way he looks at mom and always tries to touch her is creepy." Benjamin agreed. "She said it's only Christian to forgive him but I can tell that she's about had it." Merle whipped his head around, aggravating his neck pull. "Hey," he called and Alaina and Benjamin walked back into the room. "Who ya talking about?" Alaina came around the front of the couch to pick up Chloe who began to awaken. She rubbed the peanut butter off of Chloe's mouth with her sleeve and answered, "We're not supposed to tell you about it. Mom said it will just upset you and that she can handle it on her own." Merle sat up, clearing the princess wear off of his lap and said, "Ya gonna tell me right now."
Benjamin slunk around the front of the house and exchanged looks with Alaina. "The new principal, Mr. Martinez. He's always telling Mom how pretty she is and looking at her creepy and touching her. He tried to rub her neck today and it was gross. She stayed after school to talk to him." Merle stood up abruptly, rage overtaking him. "Ya watch ya brothers and sisters," he said, his voice gravelly as he stalked towards the door. "Um, dad?" said Alaina. Merle turned and she pointed towards her own ears. Merle growled and swept the earrings off, throwing them onto the floor on his way out.
As he stalked towards the schoolhouse his rage escalated. He knew that smooth-talking little fucker Martinez was squirrely when he came to the compound a few months ago, now he was going to smash him into a grease spot. By the time he reached the schoolhouse arm he was panting and his veins were bulging out of his shoulders. He opened the door in time to hear Beth say, "Hector, I'm sorry but I'm married and I won't be able to teach anymore if this behavior doesn't stop." Merle stepped into the room to see that little motherfucker with his hand on Beth's arm, urging her to stay. Beth jumped in surprise when she saw Merle. She knew the look on his face. "Merle don't," she warned. "I can handle this." Merle pointed to a panicking Martinez, his cold blue eyes boring into the shocked eyes of his prey. "You touch my wife?" he rasped, his voice barely audible. Martinez backed away from Beth, his hands in the air. "Answer me," threatened Merle, who began to shove desks out of the way to move in a straight line towards him. Martinez dodged, trying to put as many desks as possible between himself and Merle. "She came on to me," he squeaked, trying to make it to the door. Merle growled and he heard Beth scream as he launched, lost in rage.
He had rearranged a good portion of the motherfucker's face by the time that Tyreese and Daryl pulled him off of him. Merle howled in rage when Martinez scuttled away. "I'll fuckin' kill him next time," he seethed. He was aware of Beth crying while she tried to look at his split knuckles. "Oh my poor baby, I'm so sorry," she murmured as she worked her way through his fingers to make sure none were broken. He lunged again when he saw Martinez outside the window but Tyreese and Daryl still had a good hold on him. Daryl calmed him down by telling him that he'd make sure the guy was kicked out of the compound and Tyreese told Merle that he would have done the same thing if anybody touched Karen.
Merle pulled loose of them and shrugged his shoulders to catch his breath while Beth rose up to hug him. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I just didn't want you to be upset so I tried to handle it on my own." Merle snorted and she kissed him softly on the lips. As she pulled away and studied his face he saw her press her lips together to stifle a giggle. He frowned at her. He sure didn't think any of this shit was funny. He looked up at Daryl who was also pressing his lips together and at Tyreese who was staring hard at the floor. Daryl spoke first. "Ya look real purty today Merle," he said, eliciting an involuntary giggle from Beth.
Merle stalked to the mirror hanging on the wall and saw what they were giggling about. Chloe had been hard at work while he napped. Streaks of purple eye shadow traced crookedly across his face and his lips were bright pink. Princess stickers were randomly stuck to the front of his wife beater. He heard Daryl snort under his breath and Merle snapped, tearing off his shirt and scrubbing his face off. He turned to them in fury and pointed. "Fuck you!" he said pointing at Tyreese, "Fuck you!" he said pointing at Daryl, "And fuck you!" he said, pointing at Beth. "I never asked for none of this shit!" Tyreese put his hands up in surrender and moved out of Merle's way as he crashed through the room and exited the schoolhouse. He could hear them break down in laughter and it only fueled his rage. He went to the compound garage and threw his black biker vest on over his bare chest then mounted his bike and revved it up. He and another guy had rigged it for one-handed riding and he decided it was time to break it in. He made sure he had weapons, ammo, water and gas. He'd need it.
As he tore out of the manned gates Beth clutched Daryl's arm. She was crying now and he was upset. "He didn't mean it," Daryl said to her. Beth nodded faintly and sobbed, "Yes Daryl, yes he did."
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Spending the night in the abandoned cabin was easy because Merle had a bottle of rye with him. He woke up about noon the next day, cleared a few stray walkers and ate fried rabbit with some apples that he had scavenged. At one point in the day he heard a truck in the distance, a sound that was becoming more common as walker numbers declined and compound numbers increased. He kicked back with a couple nudie magazines and had a good whack off then mapped the area for future hunting ground. As the sun began to set he considered going back to the compound, then he realized he hadn't said one word out loud all day long and it had been wonderful. He settled in with a can of raviolis as it got dark and he fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke in the morning he thought of Chloe singing the Daddy song and not getting any answers. He ground his teeth, torn between loving his family and hating being tied down. Then he loaded his bike and got on the road.
TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD TWDTWD
He purposefully pulled in after the kids' bedtime, he didn't want to deal with them yet. When he got to the house he found all the lights off except for the master bedroom. He let himself in and quietly moved up the stairs. He hesitated at his own bedroom door then changed his mind and let himself into Chloe's room. She was sleeping restlessly, the blanket kicked off of her and Boo on the floor. He picked up the bear and put it in the crib but when he tried to straighten the blanket Chloe woke with a cry. She scrambled up to her feet as he shushed her. Her hands lightly patted his face and she said, "Daddy home." He kissed her and said, "That's right baby girl, daddy's home now. You go onta sleep and I'll see you in the morning." Chloe reluctantly let him go and he fixed her up in the crib with her bear and her blanket. "Daddy," she whispered and he rubbed her back a few times before he shut the door behind him.
Merle entered the bedroom to find Beth sitting at the vanity brushing her hair. The only light on in the room was the small lamp she kept by the mirror. She was in a white nightgown with lace straps that offset the dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired and had definitely been crying. Merle shrugged out of his clothes and hit the shower to wash off the road dirt and bugs in his hair. He put on a pair of boxers and came back into the bedroom to sit at the foot of the bed, scrubbing the whiskers on his face with his bruised hand. Beth came to him and dropped to her knees to lay her head in his lap. "I'm so sorry," she said and she started to cry. Her arms moved around his waist and her shoulders shook with her sobs. When he tried to speak she grasped him tighter and cried harder so he decided it was best just to let her cry it out. When she was calm again she caught her breath and started to talk. "This was my dream," she said brokenly. "I never even asked you about your dreams. I just assumed that if we were together with our families that we'd both be happy. And I wanted kids so badly." She shook her head and sniffled. "But that's not what you wanted. I thought you would change your mind once we were settled but now I see I've put you through hell for my own selfishness." She dissolved into sobs once more and when he tried to talk she shook her head. "No, Merle, don't pretend it's not true. I hurt the one I love the most and I'm so sorry.
She rose up and whispered, "But it doesn't have to stay that way." She turned back to her vanity and opened a drawer to pull out a sheaf of papers. She held them out to him and as he took them he growled, "What the fuck is this?" She cleared her throat. "They're the papers to my daddy's farm - where I grew up. Maggie signed over her share to me yesterday and I transferred them to you as sole holder." Merle scanned the papers and looked at her in consternation. She steeled herself so she wouldn't cry. "I'm setting you free," she wavered. "That house is big enough that when the kids and I visit there will be room for all of us. Otherwise it's yours and you can have your own life without us." She was shaking with the effort of not crying.
Merle looked at his trembling wife and shoved the papers back at her. "Put them back," he snapped. She shook her head. "No Merle. Even if you don't want them now you may want them later. I want you to keep them and know that I'm not going to hold you back." At this Beth's resolve broke and she covered her face with both hands to hold in her waves of sorrow. Merle threw the papers on the floor and took Beth into his arms. She leaned into him still crying into his hands and he barked, "Ain't nobody in this house goin' nowheres. I ain't leavin' and I don't want to hear anymore a this shit, y'hear?" Beth said something unintelligible into his chest and he pulled her hands down to slant his mouth down on hers. He kissed her roughly until she stopped crying then he released her with the terse order, "I ain't talking about this shit no more. Now get in my bed."
Merle got into bed and watched Beth turn off the lamp and blow her nose. She came to bed with her hair down and snuggled deep into him. After he stopped grinding his teeth she rose on her arms and moved as close to on top of him as her belly would allow. She dragged her fingertips through his drying hair and looked down into his eyes. Hers were huge and unusually solemn – it was rare to see Beth with anything but a smile on her face. "I love you so much," she said and he saw the depth of her emotions in her eyes. Her eyes searched his face and she used her fingers to trace his hairline, the creases of his forehead, his sparse eyebrows and the lines around his eyes, then his crooked nose and his chin. Her lips followed her fingertips, tenderly kissing his eyes, his nose and finally his mouth. Merle's chest heaved and he threaded his fingers through her hair and returned her tender kisses until they flared into desire. His handless arm pulled her ass into him as he thrust his hardness into her belly and she responded with a groan of pleasure.
Beth continued her journey down his bare chest and arms, tracing then kissing tenderly. When she got to his flat nipples she sucked hard, reveling in his muttered curses. When she got to his hips she gently pulled off his boxers and looked at her man, her eyes now acclimated to the moonlight. She gazed at his thick arms and flat belly and she appreciatively positioned herself to kneel between his muscular thighs. She lightly ran her fingernails up the tops of his thighs to the patch of curly brown hair between his legs, smiling faintly at the way he thrust his rigid cock into the air. She kept eye contact with him as she fondled his balls gently with one hand and slowly pumped him with the other. Merle groaned. "Sit down on that and fuck me lil' girl," he ordered. Beth shook her head in dissent, still gazing at him as she dropped her head to run her tongue with agonizing slowness around the swollen head, enjoying the salty taste of his oozing pre-cum. She hadn't loved her man like this in a long time and she wasn't going to quit until he was satisfied. She broke eye contact to concentrate on slowly sucking him off, relaxing her throat to take all of him into her mouth and occasionally running her fingernails lightly over his balls. Merle began to shake, he was begging her to go faster and she hummed in dissent as she pushed his hand away from her head. She bobbed her head just over the tip of his swollen purple member then swiftly swallowed him whole and Merle emitted a choked cry, his hips moving uncontrollably as his cock swelled in her mouth and shot out several sticky ropes of semen. After she swallowed him down she cleaned him slowly with her tongue to maximize the length of his spasms then kissed the shrinking head goodnight. Merle's arm was thrown up over his head and his eyes were closed, his face markedly less creased now in relaxation. Beth cuddled in beside him and tucked herself under his other arm, smiling when she realized that he was already asleep. She thought of the pile of papers on the floor and smiled because he wasn't leaving. Just for that she thought I'm going to blow him again tomorrow morning.
Please read and review, it will help my seasonal depression!
