Everyone has been so curious about Merle and I didn't want to make you all wait forever. So, here he is. Bless his heart =) I hope you all enjoy this one. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

A Wicked Witch and a Reefer Buzz

Merle hit the floor with a loud thud and then scooted backwards until the back of his head hit the wall. His eyes darted around the dark room but there was no one in there with him. He was fine. Slowly he raised his hands in front of him and then wiggled his fingers a few times. His breath rushed out of his lungs in a relieved sigh.

He knew it was nothing but a dream but it hadn't felt like one at all. Everything had felt very real. Everything down to the sun beating down on his head. The feeling of the drugs rushing through his system, fueling him on when those assholes thought they were going to tell him what the fuck to do.

Fuck.

He pulled himself up off the floor and made his way to the kitchen. He'd been able to taste the blood in the back of his throat from when that piece of shit cop had hit him. That was alright though. The mother fuckers knew who not to fuck with. He'd taken down enough of them for them to know that. Almost knocked that asshole cop clean out of his goddamn boots.

Merle chuckled as he opened a can of beer and downed half of it while he stood there in the light of the refrigerator.

Yeah, if that asshole hadn't gotten him while his back was turned he would have surely put a bullet in that black son of a bitch's brain. Those people were nothing to him and was nothing but shit to them. Just a bunch of no good pussies and pig fuckers trying to make sense of a bad situation. Looking down their noses at Merle Dixon. To hell with that. Given the chance he would have tossed them all off that goddamn roof and spit on their corpses while those fucking monsters turned them into lunch.

Well, maybe not the blonde. That bitch had a set of tits on her that caused his balls to ache. But that pig had to stick his nose in it and then ol' Merle was seeing stars. Stupid bastard hand cuffed him there to the roof.

The beer can abruptly fell from his fingers as a soft voice ghosted through his hazy brain...

Rick left Merle cuffed to a roof in Atlanta and he cut off his own hand and was gone before you could get to him.

He stepped away from the beer that was pooling on the floor at his feet, his heart pounding hard and fast in his chest. That was exactly what he'd dreamed. But he had felt it. He'd felt the jagged teeth of that saw tearing into his flesh. He had felt every fucking bit of it. The sting of sweat in his eyes the ache in his body as the drugs started to wear off...

"That fuckin' witch!" he roared as he slumped into one of the wobbly kitchen chairs. He reached behind him and flipped the light switch. He stared down at his trembling hands, fear chasing away what was left of the killer buzz he had when he had gone to sleep.

What had that woman done to him? How could she have put that into his head? He didn't understand how she had put this curse on him but what he did understand was exactly why his baby brother had been so goddamn terrified. He stood up abruptly and paced around the small room. He had to do something to sooth his nerves. He needed something to take the edge off so he could actually think. He didn't have anymore of the good shit but he did have something that would do. Maybe the best thing in the world for this situation.

He grabbed one of the chairs and scooted it in front of the fridge, not caring that he ran it right through the puddle of beer that he had left there. He kicked the now empty can out of the way and then climbed up. Reaching to the very back of the refrigerator, behind some old mason jars full of nuts and bolts and nails, he finally pulled out a small ziplock baggy. Inside was some of the best weed around. He jumped back down, tore open the junk drawer right next to the drawer that they kept their good skinning knives, and grabbed a book of rolling papers.

His hands were still shaking when he started breaking up the fragrant buds. It took him longer than usual to roll it than it had since he was just a teenager, starting out on his dad's stash he had raided. He wished he had something stronger. Like a fucking horse tranquilizer. He was never going to be able to shake this creepy feeling. He was never going to want to go to sleep again. What the fuck was he going to dream about next?

He inhaled deeply, holding in the smoke and fighting the urge to cough, not blowing it out until he was sure his lungs were going to explode. He tried to clear his mind and not think about anything until the joint was burned down so low it burned his lips. He licked his fingers and pinched the end of it, dropping it back into the baggie and then returning it to it's hiding spot.

He sat back down and tried like hell to think of any way the woman could have done this to him. He was much more calm and it didn't take him long to realize that all it was was his nerves. He was worried about Daryl, even though when he had gone over to check on him he had looked like he was doing better than okay. What must had happened was his nerves were getting to him so bad that the shit that the woman had said had stuck in the back of his head and those shrooms he'd eaten earlier had warped his head a bit. That's all it was. She wasn't some kind of crazy sorceress and he wasn't having visions of the future.

This would all pass. He'd go on back to bed and he'd dream about something else or he wouldn't dream at all. And if he did then he was going to catch that evil bitch alone and have a little talk with her. Figure out once and for all what the hell kind of hand she was playing in fucking with the Dixon's heads. He wouldn't let her get away with it.

He still had quite a few hours before he was due to go meet his brother at her house. He was starting to think that kicking Daryl out of the house hadn't been the best idea he had come up with. He should have known that he would run straight to her and she'd let him right the fuck in. Daryl was too fucked up in the head to realize that all she was doing was ruining their damn lives.

He flopped down on the small bed and stared up at the ceiling for a while before finally drifting off to sleep. The pot must have done it's job of calming his nerves because the only thing he dreamed about was some little girl running through the woods. She looked vaguely familiar to him. She seemed to be terrified of something. Weird.

~H~

Daryl stared down into his third cup of coffee. He still felt bleary eyed. They never did go back to sleep after going to her room. She looked wide awake but he knew that she had to be just as tired as he was. He didn't feel like dealing with Merle today and he didn't want to go anywhere either since the rain was pretty much going to ruin her own plans. She had been planning on taking Sophia to the quarry and teaching her how to shoot out there but surely she wasn't going to do that with it pouring buckets outside. He'd be worried the whole time he was gone that Ed would show up. He knew that she thought she could take care of herself and he knew that she was right but this was Ed they were talking about. Not just any Ed either. This was an Ed that was worse than before.

The man hadn't just lost his house and his wife. No, he had lost a lot of pride too. First Daryl kicked his ass in the bar and then he comes here to find Merle's bike in the driveway and his and Carol's clothes scattered around on the floor. And then the stunt Daryl had pulled himself by kissing her like that in the parking lot of Kellie's bar while Ed watched. What the hell had he been thinking? Then of all people Merle had to show up.

"What's with the look?" she asked as she sat a plate of eggs and bacon down in front of him.

He glanced up at her and then tore off a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth, shrugging. "I don't think you need to be here by yourself all day while I'm out with Merle. Ed's likely to show up."

"I already told you. I have things to do today too. I won't even be home." She sat down two more plates and then yelled for Carl and Sophia.

He frowned as he shoveled a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "The hell you mean you won't be home. You gonna take the girl to shoot in the rain?"

She sat down across from him and gave him a level look. "Do walkers stop prowling around when it's raining? She needs to learn how to shoot in the rain. It isn't always going to be sunny, Daryl."

He was about to ask her what the hell her rush was but just then the kids came in. Carl sat next to him and Sophia took the spot right across from him. Her eyes met his and held them for a few long moments. He had that strange feeling in his stomach again as he looked at her. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he looked back down at his plate.

"You look like you spent the night on watch, Dixon." Carl said around a mouth full of food.

Daryl felt the heat rise in his face as he glared at the boy. "Shut up and eat your damn food," he grumbled.

He looked up once and saw that Carol was as red faced as he probably was. Good. It served her right. At least she didn't have to run around with teeth marks on her neck. He should have bit her back. He wordlessly dug in. The only sound in the room was the clinking of silverware on plates until someone knocked on the door.

Carol's head shot up and their eyes locked. He was hoping that he could be ready and out the door before Merle got there but it didn't look like that was going to happen. He got up and headed for the door before she could even scoot her chair out.

He almost wished it was Ed at the door. At least then he could just tell him to go the hell away. But he wasn't that lucky. His brother stood there shaking water off of himself like a wet dog.

"Mornin' little brother," he said, sounding pleasant enough. Daryl instantly grew suspicious. "Don't look like you got much sleep last night," he said as he narrowed his eyes, "Let me guess. You spent all night fallin' balls deep in love?" He snickered.

Daryl groaned and opened the door wider so Merle could come in. "Try to watch your fuckin' mouth, Merle. At least in front of her little girl."

Merle stopped and turned, a thoughtful look gracing his features. "I forgot about that. Looks like I need to be on my best behavior then."

"Morning, Merle," Carol said from the doorway to the kitchen. "If you're hungry I can fix you a plate."

Daryl watched Merle carefully when he looked up at Carol. His jaw hardened slightly and his eyes narrowed just a little but that was the only indication that he wasn't at ease.

"I 'spose I could eat. So long as you didn't poison it," he said in that pleasant tone that had Daryl's nerves on edge.

They followed her to the kitchen where the two kids were still eating. She went to the stove but Merle didn't sit down. He was staring at Sophia like she had two heads or something. His face was a little more pale than it had been a few seconds ago.

When Sophia looked up she nodded. "Hi, Merle," she said politely before taking a drink of juice.

Merle's eyes narrowed even more but he finally did make his way to the table, sitting down in the same spot Daryl had been sitting. Carl looked a little nervous as he looked up at the man but no one said anything else. Carol wordlessly put a plate down in front of him and then a cup of coffee. Daryl just wanted to hurry up and get this awkward shit over with. He hoped Merle didn't have any plans to act an ass in front of the kids. Neither one of them were very experienced when it came to dealing with them but he had to have been better at it than Merle was.

"I'm gonna go grab the rest of my shit. Hurry up," he said as he left the room. He didn't have to turn around to know that Carol was right on his heels. He was surprised she would leave the kids alone with his brother.

He had brought his stuff in earlier. He had forgotten that all his clothes were in hefty bags on the back of his truck but luckily nothing got too wet. He'd felt weird about it. It was like they were formally moving in together or something. It didn't help that both Sophia and Carl were both up when he did it, their faces smug as he hauled it all to Carol's room. He was barely able to flip them off in time before Carol came in but they had been troopers about it, refusing to tell her what the hell they were giggling about.

"Do you know what we'll need?" she asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and shoved his feet into his boots.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Rifles I suppose. Might get pricey though if ya want me to get the good stuff."

She knelt down on the floor and reached under the bed. He watched her curiously. Surely she was smart enough to not hide money under there. When she came back up she had a duffel bag with her. "How much?" she asked quickly.

He shook his head. "Hell, I don't know. We're lookin at at least a thousand dollars a piece for anything worth a damn." He had gotten an idea in his head while he was in the shower earlier. If they were going to go all out and really do this, really prepare, there were other ways to go about doing it without drawing so much attention to themselves by loading up with guns in a place as public as a gun show. And this being the last day for the gun show to begin with, it was sure to be packed and the two of them buying high powered rifles was sure to draw some unwanted attention.

"I don't care. We have to have them," she said as she rested her hands on his knees. "This money won't do us any good in a few months anyhow."

He wasn't sure how she would feel about what he had to say next but he had to give it a shot. In the long run it would prove to be less of a hassle and probably cheaper than going about it the legal way. "You ain't worried about drawin' attention to ourselves buyin' a fuckin' arsenal at a gun show?"

She shrugged then ran her hands up his thighs a bit. He didn't think she was doing it to get any kind of reaction out of him but that isn't how his body took it. He stopped her hands with his own. She rewarded him with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

He took a deep breath and then glanced towards the open door. "We can get'em another way. Merle knows people. Shit, even I know people. There's this MC he got in good with a few years ago and they mostly deal in arms. This could get done a lot quicker if we go that route." He studied her face and was surprised that she nodded eagerly, her blue eyes bright. "Merle's a felon so if anybody recognized him in a place like that it could cause a stir." He didn't know why he felt the need to keep explaining things to her.

"That sounds much easier. How much do you need?" she said quickly.

He was pretty shocked that she would go for something like that so easily. "You serious?"

She nodded, "We don't have that much time. We have to be ready. How much?"

"How much for what?" Merle asked from the doorway.

Carol stood up quickly, turning to look at him. She looked like she was about to say something but she just shook her head. "Talk to your brother about it. Talking to you is like talking to a tree. Except the tree is a better listener," she said as she tried to step around him.

Daryl stood up quickly when Merle's arm snaked out and caught her around the waist. She jerked away from him and spun around, glaring. "Merle, the last thing I wanna do is shoot you but I swear if you don't keep your damn hands off me that's exactly what's gonna happen."

He shut the door quietly and turned back around to face them. Daryl had moved himself between them. He loved his brother but there was no way he was going to stand around and let him put his hands on her. "What the fuck is wrong with you Merle?" He spat angrily.

Merle glanced towards the door once more, his face a mask of fury. He wasn't pretending anymore. Daryl should have noticed it when he had first showed up but Merle was good at hiding things. He wasn't hiding now. He was enraged. "Tell me how you did it, goddamn it!" he hissed. At least he was trying to avoid scaring the kids. That was one thing that Daryl had to give him. He was at least in control enough to not pull this shit in front of them.

"What are you talking about?" Carol asked, her voice laced with what Daryl could only assume was disgust.

Merle pointed at her angrily. "How the fuck did you put that kid in my head? And all that other shit, huh?"

Daryl and Carol shared a confused look and then both faced Merle again, not knowing what to expect from the man. "What kid?" Daryl asked.

Merle gestured wildly to the door. "She knows what kid I'm talkin' about. Her daughter. Last night I got cuffed to a rooftop in Atlanta and sawed my own goddamn hand off and then her daughter was there in the woods, runnin' like a scared rabbit. Now I sound just as crazy as you do," he said as he paced around the room.

"Listen, Merle, if something has happened we can talk about it, okay? It isn't what you think..." Carol tried but he cut her off in typical Merle fashion.

"Shut it. Just shut your fuckin' mouth. Don't stand there and try to tell me that you ain't played no fuckin' hand in this shit. You have and I know it," his blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Tell me how? How the fuck did you worm into our heads like you did?"

She shook her head and Merle took a step towards her. Too close.

Daryl shoved her behind him and glared. "Enough of the bullshit. You know somethin' is goin' down now. You dreamed it, didn't ya? It ain't her. She ain't doin' nothin' but tryin' to save us, you fuckin' moron. Stop fuckin' fightin' it. For once in your goddamn life, Merle. Think!"

Daryl couldn't remember ever seeing his brother so angry. And he knew that it wasn't really because of Carol. Not anymore. This was the kind of anger that stemmed from fear. People like Merle weren't accustomed to feeling fear and so he took that fear, which he would see as weakness, and transformed it into anger and hate. And that anger and hate was now pointed towards the only person he could blame. And it just so happened to be the only person in the world Daryl would ever actually hurt Merle over. He wouldn't let him touch her. Not when all she wanted desperately to do was save them all. Even Merle.

Merle turned those disgusted eyes on Daryl and it took everything in him not to look away. "I never would have thought you, of all people, would turn your back on me."

Daryl felt like the man had punched him in the gut. It wasn't the words that he had said. Merle would pull out anything to get to him at this point. It was the fact that he truly did believe that this was what Daryl was doing. "You're my brother," Daryl said gruffly.

Merle nodded. "Yeah, and she's the one that you're backin'. You can't choose pussy over kin and then call yourself a Dixon, Daryl. That ain't how this works."

The use of his actual name was what sealed that statement in Daryl's mind. "That's a real fucked up thing to say, Merle."

"You're makin' your choice. All I want is answers and look at ya. Standin' there guardin' her like a pit bull pup, knowin' full well that she's behind all this somehow. We're all the fuckin' family we got and you're gonna keep a watch on me and let her rip it apart."

Daryl shook his head. "That's bullshit," he spat. "You're doin' that yourself. You did it when we were kids and you'll do it again as soon as shit gets rough. It's what you do. I ain't doin' this no more. I ain't lettin' you dictate every goddamn move I make and then guilt me when I don't listen to you. You don't believe her? Fine. You wanna face them flesh eatin' fucks on your own. Fine. I ain't choosin' your ass over her again. Not when I know that you wouldn't do the same if the tables were turned."

Merle took a step back, his eyes widening. There was a silence that enveloped the room that was filled with tension so thick Daryl could swear he could taste it. "I guess we ain't got nothin' more to say then," Merle said after the silence in the room became nearly unbearable.

Carol finally moved out from behind Daryl but he stopped her from getting any closer to Merle. "Merle, please don't do this," she said in a soft voice.

Merle shook his head. "You win, woman. I ain't got no reason to be here no more."

"I'm not competing with you, Merle. Why don't you see that?"

Without another word he left the room. Neither of them said anything until the front door slammed shut.

He looked down at her and frowned at the tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry... I..."

"Ain't nothin' you did. It's just how he is," he said as he brushed a tear away with his knuckles. "Ain't much can be done about it. He's a stubborn jackass."

She shook her head. "You have to go after him. Tell him what you have too to keep him close. If he leaves town or something over this then you might lose him and that can't happen," she said in a desperate voice.

"He ain't never gonna get over me and you. You heard him. To him I just chose you over him and he ain't gonna get over that." He was scowling. What the hell did she want him to do?

"You have to tell him it's over. Tell him that you made a mistake. Tell him whatever you have too to keep him close," she said quickly as she grabbed his hand. "Daryl, I know that the man has his flaws but I also know how much you love him. We can't risk him taking off and then getting himself killed out there. You have to stay with him."

He understood what she was telling him but he wasn't sure if he could do it. And he wasn't sure she understood what it would mean if he did take off after Merle. "He wants me to stay the hell away from you, you know that. All it's gonna do is cause me and him to fight and..."

"Then stay away from me," she said suddenly as she placed her hands on his chest.

He scowled. What the fuck did she mean, stay away from her? "Are you outta your goddamn mind? We don't know when this is gonna happen. You could end up..."

"No. I'll be fine."

He shook his head. "You just want me to leave? Go after Merle and not see you again until the world turns to shit?" Surely she didn't mean that. That couldn't be what she wanted. He knew that no matter what happened, Merle would make it but not her. He'd lost her too many times already and it made him hesitant to even consider leaving her.

"I don't want you to go anywhere. I want you here but you have to go. He's going to keep dreaming and maybe, if you're there to talk some sense into him, he'll come around. We'll meet up in a few days. Just call me when you get a chance."

"What if Ed shows up?" he asked. He was grasping at straws but deep down he knew she was right. If something did happen to Merle then he wouldn't forgive himself and in a sense he probably wouldn't forgive her either. But if something happened to her he wasn't sure if he could stomach that. That would be too hard. Especially now.

"Then I'll handle it. Your only a phone call away. You can still do what you need to do. You can still get the guns we need. I'll work on getting a place."

"You're serious about this?" he asked, feeling defeated. He felt like he was being split in half, his loyalty to his brother battling his need to keep her safe.

She shook her head. "No. But we have to try. You have to go, okay? Like I said, maybe we can work something out and see each other in a few days or something."

"Sneak around? What the fuck, Carol! We ain't a couple of high school kids," he scoffed.

"Then tell him that you're coming over here. Tell him... just tell him you need to get laid or something and you're using me for... you know. He won't question that."

The serious look on her face made what she said even more hilarious. He barked out a laugh. "You're serious about this? God, and that shit would work too. He'd probably be fine with that," he shook his head. He didn't want to do this but she was right. He didn't want to lose his brother either. He just wasn't sure if he could really do it.

"We'll be okay," she said. It was obvious that she was having a harder time than she was letting on. It would probably seem ridiculous to anyone else. All he was doing was going home. But considering everything they had went through, it was a much bigger deal than that. The only way they knew each other was okay was by sticking together. This was big.

"I'll work on him, alright? I'll figure somethin' out," his voice sounded off, more like the softer spoken prison Daryl. He felt more like that man now than he ever had before.

She nodded and then reached into her bag and then shoved something into his hands. He looked down and then frowned. "What the fuck?"

"Just get the guns, okay? And anything else you think we'll need. Anything you can think of, just get it. There's more where that came from, just let me know when you need it. And as stupid as this sounds..." she smiled softly, "Please call me."

He sighed and then lowered his forehead until it was pressed against hers. She had given him a large stack of bills. "Alright. But if Ed shows up you best fuckin' shoot him. Don't give into his bullshit. The only reason he's tryin' so hard is cause he's blindsided. He actually thought you'd put up with his shit forever. Don't fall for it." A part of him was still afraid. He was afraid that if Ed tried hard enough that maybe she would reconsider how she felt about the man. She'd seen something in him before and it scared the hell out of him to think that what she saw then would rear its head and make her feel obligated to give the bastard another chance.

Her arms went around his neck and her lips met his in a quick kiss. "I should shoot you for even thinking something so stupid," she said in a quiet angry voice.

He was going to have to go and he didn't want too. He tightened his arms around her waist when she tried to step back and then kissed her again, this time wasn't quick. When she kissed him back it felt almost desperate. He really hoped it wouldn't be too long before he could do this again. Maybe Merle would pass out or something and he could come back tonight. For just a little while anyway. He wasn't going to wait days. He already knew that.

Recap: I know what you're all thinking. Daryl would never just let his brother walk away like that. But this is a different kind of situation and don't forget that in the beginning of this story, Merle was alive. Daryl didn't have to put him down and so that changes things a little bit. Thanks again for reading!