So, like many chapters I post, this one makes me nervous. When you get used to writing about a certain couple it is sometimes difficult to step into another characters head. I hope I did okay! Thank you all for reading! Hope everyone is staying safe and having a great weekend! Some smut towards the end, in case it isn't your cup-o-tea!
Trojan Man
Carol made her way up the stairs slowly. She didn't want to go back into her room and see her daughter lying there like that. It brought back those memories of when she had gone missing. Except now she was right there, but still so far away. There wasn't anything Carol could do for her.
She paused outside the door when she heard the sound of voices. She fought back the rush of hope, just in case someone else had came in and was talking to Daryl. She didn't want to believe it was Sophia yet. When she opened the door and saw them there on the floor she thought that her heart would stop. Sophia was there, sitting sideways on Daryl's lap as he talked to her. He looked like he was trying to calm her down as she clung desperately to his neck.
She shut the door behind her and both of them looked up. Sophia left Daryl, still looking stunned on the floor, and ran to her. Carol caught her and then knelt down. "I'm sorry mom. I know you must have been scared," Sophia said as she hugged her tightly.
"I was," Carol breathed, "But that wasn't your fault." She hugged her tighter and then stood up, taking her daughter's hands.
"Can I go talk to Carl, please. I'm fine. It was just like what happened before, it just lasted a lot longer is all. I'm fine mom, I promise."
Carol looked up at Daryl. He glanced at Sophia and then met Carol's eyes, nodding. She gave the girl the go ahead and she rushed out of the room. Carol wasted no time once the door was shut. "What happened? How did you wake her up?" She asked as she went to him.
He shrugged and then sat down heavily on the bed. It was then she realized that something was still very wrong. His eyes were haunted, and if she didn't know any better, for the first time since the day they had met, she thought she saw fear. Real fear. When he looked up at her she took an involuntary step away from him. She didn't understand why, but she suddenly wanted to get away from him and anything that he might have to say.
"Carol, somethin' still ain't right," he muttered, shaking his head and looking down at his hands.
She didn't want to hear about what Sophia had seen. She didn't want to think about that. Whatever it was was something she wasn't sure that she could deal with right now. "What did she see?" She asked even though she didn't want him to answer.
He stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. "It don't matter cause it ain't gonna happen. Ain't nothin' gonna happen to either one of us. Not for a long time."
"Whatever she saw was big, Daryl. She hasn't ever done that before. It was like she was gone."
"She was gone," he confirmed. "But she came back. She always comes back. And when she does come back we're all that much closer to beating this shit. She's asleep when it happens. It ain't nothin' to be afraid of anymore."
She wanted to believe him but it wasn't easy. For a person to see their child like that, it was a hard thing. "It's scary," she muttered, feeling more than a little lost. "She saw us again, didn't she? She saw us die."
"She didn't see us die. She saw us dead. She said it happens all the time but this time was different. She's got a name now but she don't know anything else and it ain't gonna be easy findin' the person that did it. She said that Merle helps her when she goes to those other places but he can only do so much. We can't just look the guy up and go after him. We have to figure out another way to find him."
She pulled away, feeling her eyes growing wide. "Look for him?"
He nodded solemnly. "I ain't lettin' him do that. I ain't lettin' him take everything away. I'm gonna hunt him down and end it myself."
"You're leaving?" She choked.
He looked away. "I don't know. It'd be easier now. We know it only gets worse as far as the walkers are concerned. Not just that but I'm sure Philip Blake was a real stand up guy before the world drove him mad. Maybe this Negan son of a bitch is the same way. The sooner we find him the sooner we eliminate the problem with less chance of getting killed."
"If you leave then I'm going with you," she said, trying and failing to hide the desperation in her voice.
He was about to shake his head but stopped suddenly when she grabbed him by the chin, rougher than she meant too, and glared at him.
"You don't get to do that!" She hissed angrily. "You don't get to walk away. Not again. We do this together or we die together whenever the time comes. Your choice."
His eyes widened and then he grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away from his face. "No." His voice was firm.
"This isn't some debate. I'm going or you're staying," she said as he turned around and started pacing.
"You would just leave Sophia here to run off on some wild goose chase?" He snapped, hands balling into fists at his sides.
"Sophia would be safer here. She would have someone to protect her," she crossed her arms over his chest, refusing to feel intimidated by his anger.
"She'd be safer with you," he snapped.
"She'd be safer with both of us," she snapped right back.
"We ain't doin' this, Carol. I ain't fightin' you over this right now," he growled.
She snorted, all of the fear she had been feeling over the last few hours morphing into anger. "Really? And you think that since you just dismiss it then I'm gonna go ahead and walk off with my tail between to my legs? Fuck you, Daryl."
His mouth dropped open and his eyes grew impossibly large. She covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe that she had just said that to him. She couldn't remember ever speaking to someone like that.
"Daryl, I'm so sor..."
She jumped, startled at his sudden outburst. He laughed so hard that he wrapped his arms around his middle. She frowned as he laughed. This wasn't very funny. They were having a fight and she had said awful things to him and now he was just laughing. And she was pretty sure that he was laughing at her because he sure as hell wasn't laughing with her.
She put her hands on her hips and waited until he was able to catch his breath. After all of the stress they had gone through today she didn't understand how he could stand there and laugh like that. What had happened with Ed and then the explosions and trying to explain what was happening to the rest of the group and then Sophia... She startled herself when her own laugh bubbled up out of nowhere. It was nothing like Daryl's surprisingly laud laughter, but it was there all the same. At this point she had to either laugh or cry and she had cried entirely too much in her lifetime.
"What, exactly, is so funny?" She asked as he wiped at his eyes.
He shook his head. "You."
She pursed her lips together. "You really think it was that funny?"
"You ain't never put nobody in their place like that in your life and you know it," he said, still smiling.
She sighed. "No I haven't. I'm sorry I said that to you."
"I ain't. I needed a laugh. We both needed a laugh," he took a few steps and then grabbed her hand. "We'll figure this out, alright. I won't disappear on ya. We still have time."
She was more than a little stunned. Maybe she should cuss at him more often. It seemed to be a good tension reliever.
She was shocked when he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to him, kissing her hard. She kissed him back, matching his ferocity. She needed this. They needed this. She let herself get lost in the roughness of his touch for just a few precious minutes before she had to return to the real world. The real world that, despite all of her efforts, was becoming an even scarier place than before.
~H~
"I just saw Rick," Andrea said as she jogged towards him. "He just saw Carl and Sophia so she's fine."
Merle watched as she climbed the ladder leading up to the top of the wall. He had been wondering what the hold up was. He should have known it would be Rick. He wasn't sure what was going on between those two. It really wasn't any of his business. "That's good. That's real good." He was surprised at how relieved he felt. He cared about the girl. He hated caring. It went against his nature.
"It really is," she beamed once she made it to the top. They were pretty high up. The wall was twelve feet high and wide enough for two people to walk the entire thing side by side. He sat with his back against the low partition, knees drawn up. He watched her as she walked a few feet gazing out at the dark woods that surrounded them. This part of the wall was pretty far back. It was on land that they had pretty much stolen. Carol and his brother had purchased sixteen acres but they had built the wall further back than that, straight into the forest.
"You ain't gonna see anything out there. It's been pretty quiet since I got here." He sighed and rubbed his palms against his thighs. "Shoulda listened to the rest of'em and stayed the hell in the house. Ain't gonna be shit to do for a while yet."
Andrea shrugged and threw her long legs over the partition and sat down, facing the woods. "It makes me feel better anyway. You can go ahead and go. I don't mind staying out here alone," she glanced at him over her shoulder as she adjusted her rifle.
"Nah. Too much drama and shit in there." That wasn't necessarily true. He could have holed up in his room and escaped the bullshit easily but he didn't want too. He didn't mind her company. That bothered him almost as much as caring about that little girl did. He was growing soft out here.
"There is," she agreed. "But I guess it's to be expected. Look at how many people are here. A lot of different personalities. A lot of people are bound to clash. We'll make it work eventually."
Merle shook his head. "I don't think me and your boyfriend are ever gonna get along, Blondie. He's a fuckin' power hungry asshole. I don't like power hungry assholes."
She swung her legs around so she was facing the yard and was able to look at him better. "For one, he isn't my boyfriend. He's a married man. And for two, you were a bit of asshole yourself, Merle. Are you forgetting how awful you were back at the quarry?"
He scowled in the dark. "I was high. That's my excuse. Rick is an asshole because he was born an asshole. There's a difference. And from what I can tell, he looks at you like you're his property. That's one of the problems he has with me. He don't like that we're all buddy buddy like. I imagine he believes me and you've been gittin' freaky in the carriage house."
She snorted. "You are crazy. He doesn't think that. I'm no man's property. Even if I was in a relationship with him, which I am not, I would still be my own woman."
He studied her intently. She hadn't really scoffed at the idea of the two of them getting it on, which he took as a good sign. Then he realized that he must have been subconsciously thinking about fucking her, which made him want to kick something because he didn't need any of that shit in his life at the moment. Not the way things were now. He had to keep his wits about him. If that meant refraining from getting his dick wet then by God that was what he was going to do.
"So, what about at the prison? You and officer Dick Face ever bump uglies?" He asked. He was actually pretty curious. If Rick had nailed her then maybe he could just fuck her for spite. He knew he was a better lay than that pansy. He focused on the leather band around his wrist instead of looking at her.
She moved down and settled in next to him. "You're disgusting," she muttered. "We never did anything like that. We talked. That was it."
"What did the two of you talk about?" Jesus, Merle! Who the fuck cares? Why do you keep asking her so many fucking questions?
"Life," she said quietly. "I still had hope that I could convince Philip to see reason. I thought that we all could live. Once all of that was handled we talked about giving it a shot. We had a lot of chemistry before."
"And now?" He asked.
She turned her head, meeting his eyes. "I'm a different woman now. He's different." There was a long pause and then she looked away. "You're different."
Those words hung in the air, drifting through his mind and stirring up something that was uncomfortable. Neither one of them said a word about it though. What was there to say? She wasn't lying. If he hadn't been different than he had been back at the quarry then he sure as hell would be having a harder time than he was now. Sure, him and Rick didn't get along but the rest of them, even the ones that he had had a real problem with back then, looked at him in a new light. They didn't eye him like he was a danger. He seemed to be... respected. Well, Glenn's girl still hated his guts but that was okay. He didn't much care for her anyway. She was a bossy little bitch.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked hesitantly.
"Maggie," he muttered and watched as her head snapped up.
"Maggie? She's with Glenn, Merle. She hates you. Not to mention she's too young for you. I didn't even know you looked at her like that..."
"Goddamn! Chill the fuck out, Blondie. I was thinkin' about how much of a bitch she is. You jealous or somethin'?" He chuckled.
"Of course not," she said as she turned her head to look down at the yard.
He grinned, feeling a bit of a rush. She was full of shit. She sounded jealous for sure. "You sure about that there, Blondie?" He elbowed her. "You know I only got eyes for your goods. Why else do ya think we been spendin' all this quality time together?" He was joking. Of course he was joking. But when her head whipped around and she stared at him with a strange look on her face, he wasn't sure if she knew that he was joking. Fuck, was he joking?
He wasn't sure what he expected her to do so all of his defenses were down. He was looking right at her and it wasn't so dark that he couldn't see her pretty well, but he didn't see it coming. From out of nowhere she kissed him. Not just some chaste little kiss either. Nothing like that.
He grunted in surprise as her tongue invaded his mouth and one hand snaked around to the back of his head, holding him closer. Instinct kicked in then. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her up onto his lap once he finally got over the initial shock of what was happening. He didn't hold back. He kissed her roughly, his hands grasping her hips, forcing her to grind herself against his sudden erection. She tried to push his vest off his shoulders but he was leaned against the bricks. She made a frustrated sound and decided to just explore him under the vest and over his t-shirt.
He wasn't sure what had gotten into her but he wasn't going to fight it. He wanted it. He'd never turned down a free piece of ass before. He wished that that was all this was but he would be lying. The truth was, he liked her. A lot. Their banter was about the only thing that relieved his stress now days. He was clean so he couldn't get high to relieve all that stress he was under. There was only her and that damn ridiculous Hummer she had purchased on a whim.
He was starting to get frustrated because his thick fingers couldn't seem to get the small buttons of her shirt through the holes. He shrugged and then, before she could protest, he ripped the shirt open, buttons snapping off the bricks and landing in the yard below. She gasped but didn't protest as he pulled the tank top over her head.
He was breathing heavily and his palms felt sweaty sliding against her skin. He all but ripped the bra away in his eagerness to get to her breasts. When they were finally free his mouth found one as his hand found the other. Her head fell back when his teeth raked across the taught flesh. "Merle," she breathed. "Do you have a condom?"
He jerked his lips away from her breast and nodded. He'd fucked up and caught the damn clap once. That shit wasn't happening again. He lifted his hips, digging his wallet out of his pocket with her still straddling him. She held on to his shoulders.
As soon as his wallet was out he dropped it next to him and his hands went back to her. He licked a wet trail between the valley of her breasts to her throat. The whole time she was holding his head closer, her nails dragging across his scalp. He wanted to toss her ass down onto her back and take her right then but the bricks weren't going to feel too good. "We need to get the fuck down from here," he growled right before he caught her earlobe between his teeth.
"Okay," she hissed and then shoved his head away from her.
She scrambled off of him and he didn't even bother standing up. He rolled and then his feet hit the ladder. He reached out and snagged the condom and hurried down. Once he hit the grass he tore the vest off and then his shirt. It was hot as fuck out here all of a sudden. He was already unzipping his fly when she made it to the ground. Before she could turn around he gripped her around the waist and pushed her against the wall.
He moved her hair until her back was exposed. Her skin seemed to glow in the light that filtered down out of the trees. His lips met her skin and she backed further into him, her hand forcing his back up to her breast as he used his other hand to work on the button of her pants but she pushed the hand away and did it herself.
He pushed them down past her hips, his eyes drinking her in. She had a killer body and this wasn't the first time he had ever thought about putting his hands all over it. Especially lately. He finally turned her around to face him and she didn't hesitate to run her hand down the bulge in his jeans.
"Impressive Dixon," she breathed.
He grunted and pushed her back against the wall. "You ain't seen a goddamn thing yet, Blondie."
She grinned wickedly, until he dropped to his knees in front of her. He didn't know why he felt the urge to do this but it was too damn strong to stop. He wasn't sure if she was lying or not when it came to sleeping with Rick but just in case it had happened, he wanted to make damn sure that the next time she thought about sex, she thought about Merle. He wanted to leave her begging him for more. So he picked up one of her legs until it was braced on the ladder and then he dove in, Merle Dixon style.
Her shoulders hit the bricks and her hands went to his head. She made one hell of a sight when he looked up, his tongue moving over her frantically. She was chewing her bottom lip, her eyes closed and her breath coming in pants. And he had just gotten started. He ran his hands up her thighs, taking note that they were already trembling.
He was Merle Dixon. He knew his way around a woman. He knew how to coax them into feeling all sorts of things. But even Merle had to admit that he had never tried to please a woman so thoroughly in his life. He had a point to prove here. And he had an ex-cop to piss off. Maybe Rick and Andrea had never been together. But Merle was going to make sure that if they ever were, the skinny bastard would pale in comparison, no matter what he did to her.
He was glad that they were so far removed from the others. He was also happy that they were well concealed by more than a few acres of woods. Her cries and moans were growing louder, her thighs trembling so much now that he wasn't too sure her legs were going to hold her up for much longer. Figuring he had toyed with her enough he pushed one finger into her, finding the perfect spot and then gliding his fingertip over it in a circular motion while quickening the pace on her with the tip of his tongue.
She shuddered, cried out in shock and then nearly fell over. He had to wrap one strong arm around her to hold her in place until he was finished. He pulled back, still on his knees as he dug in his pocket for the condom he had stashed. Before he could even get it open he was shoved in the chest so hard that he landed on his ass in the dead leaves.
She pulled the condom out of his hand and shoved him again until he was on his back. That was okay. He could deal with this. If she wanted to take control of the situation then he would let her. She was straddling his thighs, her eyes bright in the moonlight as she freed him from his jeans. She ripped open the wrapper with her teeth and he watched in awe as she rolled it onto him. Her eyes were locked on his crotch, her teeth scraping her lip again.
Once she moved up and was hovering over him he sat up quickly and rolled until she was pinned under him. He expected her to protest but she laughed instead. The laugh was cut short when he plunged into her without warning. She cried out in surprise and he had to hold back a groan. "Don't feel like you been broke in proper, Blondie," he growled as he draped her legs over his shoulders and then moved forwards.
"You're full of yourself, Dixon," she huffed.
His pace increased as he shook his head. "You're full of Dixon, darlin'. Get your facts straight."
He had to admit, this was good. Really good. He wouldn't ever admit it to her but it was true. She gave as good as she got and he didn't hold back with her. He wasn't careful with her and he could see it in the way her eyes were damn near rolled back into her head that she didn't want him too. Something in the back of his mind told him that maybe this was feeling much better than it should. But he wasn't going to stop. Not now. Especially once she started to arch her back. His lips went to her ear.
"That'a girl," he rasped before he bit into her tender flesh. She tightened around him, earning another groan from him. When her nails bit into his back he nearly lost it but he wanted to hold off as long as he could. He wanted to feel her and he didn't even know why. A rushed of heat wrapped around him as she cried out his name and there was something about her saying it that had him reeling. He bit her a little harder when he felt himself start to let go. That nagging thought that this was feeling way too intense fluttered across his brain but it was driven away once he plunged into her one more time and let go with a growl and a string of muttered curses in her ear. Her muscles contracting did most of the work for him as he drained himself as deep inside of her as he could get.
Once he finally got his wits about him he let her legs go. They dropped to the ground like she had no bones to hold them up.
"That was..." She didn't finish the sentence, shaking her head instead as a dreamy smile graced her lips.
"That, Blondie, was a hell of a fuck," he grinned as she blinked and then made a face at him.
"Leave it to you to ruin a moment, Merle."
He groaned and rolled his eyes as he pulled out of her. He flopped down next to her onto his back. "Leave it to you to start bitchin' before I can even get my dick outta ya," he mumbled as he went to remove the condom and stuff himself back in his pants.
He frowned. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. He glanced over to make sure she wasn't looking at him as he ripped the condom off, his heart thumping out a panicked rhythm in his chest. It broke. The goddamn thing had pretty much split in half. No shit it had felt good. He was pretty much raw dogging it the whole goddamn time!
But what were the chances anyway? Nothing would come of it just this once. He was clean and he was pretty sure she was too and lots of people tried for years to get knocked up before it actually happened.
He stood up, intending to throw the worthless thing over the other side of the wall when she stood up, pulling her pants up as she did so. Her shirt was still on top of the wall. He was already going up the ladder.
"Throw me my shirt down, would you," she called after him.
He tossed it to her, trying without success to stop the panic clawing its way up his throat. He'd keep this to himself and everything would be just fine.
Okay, I hope that was alright. I got more and more nervous about this chapter the more times I went over it. I'm not used to writing Merle smut so go easy on me! Be gentle people! =)