Hi again, Athlete Girl here with Part 2, there may be one more chapter to finish this story. No triggers in this part!
SLEEP (part II)
Merle entered Beth's cell to find Maggie and Glen holding Beth's hands and talking softly to her. Beth was pale and silent. Her sightless eyes stared unfocused into space and her only movements were blinking and breathing. Maggie turned to see Merle standing there and smiled through her tears. "See baby," she said to Beth, still stroking her arms. "Merle is here and he's going to take care of you. You're going to be OK." Maggie kissed Beth's hand and rose with Glen to make room for Merle. Merle squatted near the head of the bed and took the metal cuff off of his arm. "Hey there, sugar," he said. "Got room for me in there?" He waited a minute but there was no response. He continued, "Gonna have to sit you up, there ain't room for both of us to lie down." After a minute of no response Merle put his arms under her upper body and Glenn helped him to get her into a sitting position with her back against the wall. Merle took his button up shirt off and sat beside her. Maggie helped to arrange the blankets around them and he got his arm around Beth to pull her in. Beth's head lolled to the side against his shoulder and he hitched around to get a little more comfortable. "Just let her be," he said to Maggie and Glen, then he lay his head back against the cool concrete and closed his eyes. Aint this a world full of shit, he thought to himself as he dropped off for a nap.
The nap however was short-lived. Beth's cell was next to the kitchen and was in the busiest and loudest part of the prison. Between Judith running in to play and being hauled out screaming by Carl, and Woodbury women gossiping about the day while making dinner, and Rick discussing punishment of the boys with leaders of the group, there was no peace to be found. Merle opened his eyes and glared out the door of her cell. There was no way she was going to come out of this with all this going on. There was a light step at the door and Carol peeked in. "Hi," she said. "I made up the warden's room for you two to get some peace and quiet. You can stay until she's ready to come back out." Merle looked at her gratefully. Mouse was all right sometimes, he thought. He pulled himself up to standing and put his shirt on over his threadbare wifebeater. "C'mon now," Merle said firmly while pulling Beth into a standing position. He repositioned the blankets around her shoulders and bent to pick her up. Beth's head flopped against his shoulder and her eyes remained unfocused as he carried her to the warden's office. Carol opened the door for him then shut it behind them once they were in. The pullout bed was made up with fresh sheets, and a lantern was set up on the side table next to two bowls of food. Carol pulled out a brand-new fleece blanket that had been put away for a rainy day. I guess it doesn't get rainier than this, Carol thought as Merle set Beth's feet on the ground. She removed the tattered blanket from Beth's shoulders and wrapped the new blanket around her, pulling Beth's hair out from under the blanket and smoothing it while she kissed her on the cheek. "Rest well sweetie," said Carol. She and Merle helped Beth lie down on one side of the bed. Carol turned to Merle and showed him the supplies that were in the room. While she didn't mention them, she gestured to two packages of condoms that had been tucked discretely near the head of the bed. She turned to leave and assured Merle that someone would bring food in the morning. Merle nodded curtly to her and locked the door behind her when she exited. He toed off his boots and took off his socks, then stripped to his underwear and crawled into bed. He pulled Beth to him and laid on his back, pulling up the sheet to cover them both. He nuzzled her temple and kissed it softly, then lay back on the pillow and closed his eyes.
EIGHT HOURS LATER
Beth opened her eyes slowly. Wherever she was it was very dark. She felt warm and comfortable, and she was sure that she was lying with Merle based on his scent and his snoring. She lay motionless as her eyes acclimated to the dark. The nearly full moon was shining silver light in through the window and she could make out the desk and the file cabinets of the warden's office. She must have slept deeply because her brain was foggy and she had drool dried on the side of her face. She searched her memory for how she could have gotten here, and the vision of the past day's trauma hit her. She stiffened abruptly which woke up Merle. His arm tightened around her and he turned his head to sleepily kiss her forehead. His handless arm rubbed the small of her back through the blanket and he shifted to turn towards her to envelope her in both arms. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and breathed deeply for many long minutes until her body relaxed into his. His raspy voice cut through the dark. "You need to eat," he stated. He pulled slightly away from her and saw that her eyes were focused and were looking up at him. "C'mon," he said, helping her to sit. She drank several bottles of water and together they ate the dinner that Carol had supplied. Merle spooned some of his into Beth's bowl and she ate it woodenly. He stood up to put his pants on then helped her get to the bathroom to freshen up. He carried her back and covered her with the new blanket and rearranged the bed so they could both lie together inside of the blanket's softness. His good hand rubbed her back and she rubbed her cheek onto his chest. This was real, she was here with Merle. She didn't want to remember anything that had happened earlier, she just wanted what was happening now, just to listen to his sure heartbeat and know that they were alone.
After many long moments, Beth raised her head to study Merle's face in the moonlight. His hand raised to stroke the hair away from her face, which glowed softly in the moonlight. She was studying him but the sharp shadows cast by the moon made his face unreadable. They remained this way for many long minutes, silently evaluating each other. Merle mused that without her usual smile, her face looked almost foreign. He broke the silence first. "What do you want little girl?", he asked quietly, his voice breaking slightly with emotion. Beth's gaze didn't break from his but she took several minutes to answer. "I want you," she whispered hoarsely, her voice weak and thready from screaming. She pondered him for a moment and continued slowly, "I want you to love me. ". They studied each other silently for a moment and she continued, "I want us to roll around in the grass with our grandkids. And I want you to make love to me."
Merle's hand stilled in her hair. He drew her up closer to him and his eyes stared into her as he stated earnestly, "I ain't never leavin' you again.". Beth nodded slowly and they lost track of time as they appraised each other. Beth slowly adjusted so that her face was above his and their lips softly touched. They kissed slowly and softy for a long time, saying everything that they needed to tell each other without words. Beth felt the emotion swirl in her chest as he poured his love into her. She breathed it in slowly and steadily, drawing his warm breath into the vacuum where her heart used to be. Tears prickled her eyes, and she felt the pain of his strength stitching her together from the inside. She raised her hand to stroke Merle's beard and trailed it tenderly down his chest, lightly caressing the scant greying chest hair before continuing to his shoulder and bicep. This was not the first night that she had stroked his bare chest under his wifebeater. She had felt just enough in those late-night sessions to know that she wanted to know him completely. The time was now.
When her fingers trailed down his bicep, he broke the kiss and sat up to pull off his wifebeater, throwing it to the side of the bed. He lay back down and pulled her on top of him, returning her kiss with heat and with a sure tongue that flicked expertly in her mouth. Beth gasped, and moaned, and she intertwined her bare legs with his. He devoured her and his hand roamed freely down her back, squeezing each ass cheek through the thin cotton of her pajamas. He was panting when they parted, and he leaned his forehead to hers to steady himself. "You're mine," he rasped, and she nodded breathlessly. His mouth claimed hers and soon her body was on fire.
He guided her onto her back and kissed her deeply while he kicked off his pants and underwear. His tongue made its way down her neck and under her shirt, where it circled and lapped at both nipples before gently sucking them into hard points. Beth pulled off the shirt and threw it to the side where it joined Merle's shirt. He had stroked her tender nipples under her shirt before, but this was his first taste of them. He groaned in appreciation and the combination of his sure hand and teasing mouth on her breasts soon made her tremble in want.
Merle's hand went to her waistband and slid her sleep pants down. Beth's hand met his and she helped him to pull off, her body instinctively moving towards his. Merle guided her onto her back and looked at his young prize in the silver moonlight. He was awed by what he saw. His eyes shifted and bored into hers, and he kissed her long and deep. His mouth once again trailed its way to each breast, loitering for a few minutes to tease her nipples to hardness. Beth moaned and pushed her hips up against in response, and he continued down, interspersing kisses and soft bites with licks on his journey. When he nuzzled her pubic hair he breathed deeply, mouthing the tender skin and getting his first real taste of her. He stroked the inside of her thigh, his fingers closer and closer to the aching core of her. When he got to her wetness he rubbed his fingers gently through it, enjoying her startled gasp of pleasure as he brushed her swollen clit. He slowly kissed his way up the other thigh and replaced his fingers with his mouth, kissing her rosebud softly then sucking it gently while reveling in her taste. Beth's hands moved nervously, she wasn't really sure what to do with them, so she rested them on his shoulders and squeezed him whenever he gave her pleasure.
Soon her hips were unconsciously moving in a rhythm that matched his tongue and her legs quivered when he nuzzled her sweet spot with his nose. He wiped his mouth on her thigh and sat up, reaching for the condoms. She watched him mutely as he opened the package with his teeth and rolled the prophylactic over his erection. This was the first time she had ever seen a grown man erect and she stared at it curiously and not without some level of fear. He leaned over her, framing her head between his bent elbows and lining up with her entrance. Instead of pushing in he kissed her slowly. When he came up for air he said, "I don't want to hurt you." She appraised him soberly and replied, "We always hurt the ones we love."
He appraised her grimly then kissed her again and when they broke he leaned his forehead against hers. She nodded and he pushed gently into her, immediately encountering resistance. His mouth hung slightly open and he pushed with more force, studying her face. She instinctively recoiled at the sharp pain and he pulled out. He studied her and when she nodded he tried again. This time he kept up the gentle pressure and she recoiled when he pressed on. Merle braced his arms on the bed and in a series of pushes he parted her, knowing that he had succeeded by her sharp gasp and cry. He stopped and soothed her, whispering to her and kissing her eyes and nose. "I'm in now", he assured her. Her breath was coming in short bursts and he stilled, waiting for her to calm. Her legs were shaking and it tore at his heart that it was pain and not passion making it so. When her breathing evened he whispered to her, "OK?" She nodded and he slowly thrust into her, wanting to make this as quick as possible to end her discomfort and trying to remain gentle. His tempo increased as her tightness squeezed him and he suckled each nipple as he built to his climax. The final few strokes he delivered deep inside of her, knowing that any vestiges of her virginity were now truly gone. He shuddered and groaned out loud when he came, the veins of his neck standing out as he dropped his head to her shoulder and pumped a final time.
She was stiff beneath him but relaxed when he eased out. He pulled off the used condom and threw it to the floor then turned to her. She was wincing and she drew her knees up with her hands. Merle comforted her, holding her and softly kissing her face., murmuring to her how beautiful she was and how it would never hurt again. When he pulled his face away she smiled and in that moment he realized just how much he had missed that golden smile, the last week had almost destroyed whatever good was left in him. He stretched out beside her and she turned her back to him so she could keep her knees up. Her head was on his outstretched arm and she tucked her backside snugly into his hip, then reached back to pull his other arm around her. He hugged her to him and she kissed his arm when he nuzzled her hair. Then they both dropped deeply asleep.
Author note: If you read please leave a review, it really helps to motivate me to write more.
