My heart was overwhelmed by the support from everyone concerning my husband's death. I'm doing my best and I hope this story will help me heal a little. I'm not doing great, I'm often teaching in the clothes that I slept in but my kids are keeping me from sinking all the way to the bottom of depression.

This chapter of Anniversaries is in honor of Beth Greene who fought the good fight! Now she can live forever in fanfiction with her Merle.

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The sunlight filtered through the trees and dappled the large boulder on which Merle Dixon reclined. He shifted slightly so he could bend his leg and rest the heel of his boot against the stone as he propped his elbow onto his knee, the cigarette dangling from his hand. He never tired of watchin' em. Sometimes they were in groups, sometimes they were alone, the people who filed along the wide path that was bordered by tall Georgia pines. The path led them past the large rock that he occupied. Looking down to the trailhead that he'd already walked he saw new ones joining the march. Most of them were decomposed and shambling when they joined the trail, with rotten shreds of clothes hanging off of them. But by the time they got to his spot they were largely restored to recognizable people with shining hair, white teeth and sparkling eyes. Most of them smiled, the rest looked hopeful. Some held the hands of their children as the children swung between them, laughing and jumping.

He turned his head momentarily to spit a piece of tobacco that was stuck to his tongue and shrugged his shoulders to crack his neck. Normally he'd be pissed off at having to wait but this place calmed him - in fact he was pretty damned content to sit here in the warm sunshine and enjoy the occasional cooling breeze. The surface of the boulder was smooth and slightly hollowed as if many people had sat here before. The smells of honeysuckle and goldenrod hung in the air reminding him of long summer days spent with Daryl when they were kids. He laughed and shook his head at the thought. They sure had gotten into some shit.

He finished his cigarette and flicked it to the ground, reaching down to scratch his balls with his left hand. When he was sufficiently scratched he admired the two hands he held out in front of him. They were whole, unscarred and functional. In fact all of him was lookin' pretty damned good. His curly brown hair was closely shorn the way he liked and though he didn't remember shaving recently his face was smooth as a baby's ass. His stocky body moved smoothly without the hitches and cracking he'd gotten used to over the years, and his black tank top and jeans were untorn and fresh. He'd gotten a look at his reflection in a stream and had winked at it. Merle Dixon always had looked good and the ladies had let him know it.

Til that one little lady came along and showed him what livin' was all about.

He didn't know how long he sat there, there didn't really seem to be a sense of time in this place. Could have been a few minutes, could have been decades, impossible to tell. He smirked when Martinez walked by with a beautiful woman and two kids. He never did see The Governor go by and he doubted his ass would show up in this place.

He saw her immediately when she stepped onto the trailhead, her face cut in several places and a bullet wound through her lower jaw. He watched her progress up the trail, smiling as her wounds faded and she became whole. She walked lightly, her back and shoulders straight and her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder. She had an expression of serene peacefulness on her face and her large violet eyes were wide in wonder, taking in the scenery and people around her. A soft smile danced on her face as she watched children become healthy and happy again as they made their way forward. He stilled and remained silent. It was up to her now.

She felt him before she saw him. He saw her frown and crane her neck, searching the faces in the line for the presence that she sensed but couldn't pinpoint. She was in a large group and he watched her become confused, moving to the edge of the path so she could watch each person go by. She turned toward the rock to look up the path and then her eyes locked with his. He saw her mouth his name and he slid to the ground in time to catch her in mid leap. She was laughing and come to think of it so was he. "Bout time," he grumbled and she giggled, locking her arms around his neck. He turned his face in towards hers to block out the outside world for a while and their caresses quickly turned to kisses. "Fuck I missed ya," he muttered in between deep kisses and she whispered his name in reply.

When they broke she was flushed and her arms were fisted in his shirt. He kept his arms banded around her waist as he looked her over. He could tell that she had a million questions just by the way she was bouncing around. "Are you OK?" she asked breathlessly. He nodded, his forehead resting against hers. "Never better darlin'," he replied. Her fingers kneaded into his back as she clutched his shirt. "Are we…?" she trailed. He nodded and she sucked in her breath, taking the information in for a few minutes. "I feel…good," she said tentatively and his eyes searched hers. "Me too," he said. Beth took her eyes off of his and looked around, they seemed to be alone at the moment. She turned back to him questioningly. "Daddy?" she whispered. Merle loosened one arm to stroke her hair. "Yer ma was waitin' here for 'im. When he came, they lit out together," he explained cocking his head towards the end of the trail far in the distance. Beth nodded. "Maggie?" she asked. "Not yet," he replied and she nodded uncertainly. She moved into him and he held her to him tightly for a long time

Beth had never felt more at peace and secure, pressed against Merle and surrounded by natural beauty. She sighed and her hands unconsciously moved over her man's body. She remembered every muscle, every contour, every detail of his scent and the sound of his breathing. His body was responding quickly and she was shocked by the intense reaction of her body. He had been her first and her only lover and though he had taught her the joys of rough and naughty sex there were many times where he had been surprisingly tender and loving. She looked up now to see love and desire battling in his eyes. "Hey," he said to catch her attention and he squeezed one side of her ass with one hand, then the other with his other hand. She squealed and jumped back out of his arms with her hands on his wrists. She cried out with happiness when she saw his whole left hand, and she raised his palm to her lips to kiss it fervently. He raised it to the side of her face and drew her lips towards his, moving slowly and with heated intent. He kissed her softly, teasing her lips with his as if her were approaching her pussy. The very thought sent a white-hot spasm of desire through her pelvis and she moaned into his mouth.

Beth hopefully moved her hands down the sides of his hips and finally to the front of his pants where his engorged cock strained against his jeans. She moaned again, finding herself drifting towards an inescapable end. "Can we?" she whispered against his lips. He moved both hands up to pinch her nipples and they both groaned in pleasure. "Fuck yes," he replied, taking her hand and leading her to a quiet place in the woods. He took his clothes off and laid them on the ground then slowly peeled hers off to reveal her pale lithe body. She reached back to take her ponytail out and laid back on his clothes, her goldspun hair catching the sunlight and her pale nipples upturned on her small breasts. She smiled, reveling in the sunlight and turned her eyes to admire his bobbing erection. "Merle," she said simply, holding out her arms and he gazed at her one final time before he kneeled and buried himself into her.

Minutes or hours or decades later their cries of ecstasy echoed through the forest, scaring birds out of nearby trees and making them laugh. She smiled and buried her face into his muscular chest and they listened to the wildlife scuttle around them as they stroked each other. Without speaking they roused and dressed each other, slowly making their way back to the boulder. They held hands as they walked slowly, Merle bending to pick a flower to tuck into Beth's loose hair and Beth pointing out little landmarks. Back at the boulder they embraced again, drunk with their lovemaking, and Beth rubbed the top of her nose against his chin. After some time she pulled her head away to meet his eyes. Gone were the shields of anger and hate that had formed early in his life, instead they were full of love and thankfulness….and a little bit of cussedness because otherwise it wouldn't be Merle. "Are you waiting for Daryl?" she asked, uncertain about moving on. Merle shook his head, his eyebrows raising so she could see fully into his downturned eyes. "No," he said. "Figure the boy'll find me once he's with Mouse. I got all I need here now that you showed up."

Beth beamed up at him. "Forever?" she asked. Merle nodded curtly. "Forever," he replied. She looked at him steadily. "Good. You need a keeper Merle Dixon," she stated with certainty, kissing him authoritatively. Merle laughed and said, "Not sure how I got here but I figured if you was here I'd stick around." They stood for minutes or hours or decades and Merle gestured towards the distant end of the trail. "Guess we move on then," he said. Beth clutched his hand and they walked onto the path in silence. He glanced over to see her looking ahead with certainty and complete trust in the future. He was overwhelmed with the love he felt for this slip of a girl who tamed him when he was at his worst. He never got to marry her so he was going to do this part of their relationship all the way. All the Merle Dixon way.

Beth shrieked with laughter when Merle's healthy left hand swatted her playfully on the ass. "Come here lil' girl," he growled, slinging her over his shoulder and walking swiftly towards the light at the trail end. "Let's go stir 'em up a bit."

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