Hey, sorry this has taken a while to get out. Honestly, the only excuse I have is... I've been asleep. Haha. That's all I have. I hope you like this chapter. I don't really know how I feel about it but I needed to give you guys something! Thank you for reading!
Jealous
Merle let the ax fly, piercing the stillness and then slamming into the wood. He tossed the pieces into a huge pile. It seemed like there was always someone out there chopping wood. By the time winter arrived they wouldn't have to worry about running out. He was itching to get out there and find this crazy bastard. He thought he had eliminated the threat when he had offed Philip Blake. But he should have known better. He should have known that there was bigger, badder, uglier out there waiting for them. He couldn't kill everyone he saw. Well, he could but then his brother would likely raise his eyebrows at that. It was better to just trust Sophia. It was all riding on that damn girl's skinny shoulders. He didn't envy her that.
The thought of the girl had a grin breaking out over his face. Never would anyone have guessed how much potential the girl really had. She was amazing. She learned fast and held nothing back. She was going to do everything she could to help protect them. And Merle had all the faith in the world that she would be able to somehow lead them to the threat.
He looked up, the grin dying on his lips when he saw Rick sauntering his way. Mother fucker. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with this son of a bitch right now. Merle had changed. He knew he had changed but he didn't change so much that he could find forgiveness for the asshole ex-cop. He had been getting under Merle's skin more and more over the last few days. He seemed to be in too good a mood.
"Need some help with that?" Rick asked, hands going to his hips as he surveyed Merle's progress.
Merle slammed the ax into the ground and stood up, wiping at the sweat on his brow. He had shed the vest but was still sweating under his black tank top. "Look like I need help to you?" He spat over his shoulder and then glared at Rick.
Rick held up his hands. "Just thought I would ask."
Merle eyed him for a second and then shook his head, picking the ax back up. What the fuck was Rick's problem? Smiley asshole. He readied another log and made quick work of it. When he glanced back up Rick was still standing there watching him.
"What the fuck are you doin'?" Merle growled, finally dropping the ax and crossing his arms over his chest. He made sure to flex the muscles in his arms so the skinny bastard would get a good long look.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you, Merle. We're stuck here and neither one of us has any plans on leaving. Why don't we just bury the hatchet?"
Merle nodded. "I thought of that myself," he muttered.
"Really?" Rick asked, his voice guarded.
"Yeah. I have. Thought about buryin' it right between your beady fuckin' eyes officer friendly. Now get the fuck away from my woodpile before we have ourselves an accident out here."
Rick's eyes hardened. "Are you really that jealous, Merle? We're grown men. We need to let this go."
"Jealous?" Merle snorted. "What the fuck are you over there goin' on about?"
"Andrea," Rick said simply as his hands went to his hips.
"The hell she got to do with us? I don't like you cause you're a power hungry piece of shit. Ain't got a damn thing to do with her. Hell, I ain't said two words to the bitch in nearin' a week."
Rick's eyes grew hard. "You were getting pretty cozy with her up until then."
Merle felt the smile break out over his face. "And then I got what I was after. No need in keepin' cozy."
Rick's eyes grew hard as steal and he opened his mouth like he was going to say something but closed it quickly, seeming to collect his thoughts before speaking. When he finally did his voice was cold. "That's a damn lie. She wouldn't lower herself to the likes of you."
Merle shrugged, clearly enjoying Rick's rage. "Got no reason to lie."
He watched Rick turn on his heel and storm away without another word. The smile lingered on his lips but his mind was spinning now. Why would Rick accuse him of being jealous? Unless... He shook his head though the seed was already planted there. He had stopped talking to her. He hadn't gone out of his way to be around her. Did she run off to Rick because of that? All he was doing was giving himself some time to clear his head. It had been over a week now that they had slept together and he was on the verge of... what exactly? He wasn't sure. He was at least going to try to be friendly with her again. That condom breaking had fucked with his head a little bit and he had needed space. Time to think. He was less worried now though. It was one time. What were the chances of that?
And what if she had slept with Rick?
The downswing had so much extra muscle behind it that the blade slipped right through the wood and wedged deeply into the tree stump he was using to chop the firewood on. Surely she hadn't. And what if she had? She wasn't his woman. He'd fucked her, sure. But that sure as hell didn't make her his. He'd fucked plenty of women and it didn't mean they all belonged to him.
"Fuck her," he grunted as he yanked the ax free.
"Excuse me?"
He turned quickly and sure enough there was the thorn in his side, standing there with her hands on her hips, looking at him strangely.
"Nothin," he growled.
She rolled her eyes. "Annette sent me out here to find you. She said you needed to eat lunch since you skipped breakfast."
His stomach chose that moment to rumble. He could eat. That woman was a goddamn goddess in that kitchen. He had just been to eager to get the hell out of the house and away from all those people this morning to bother with eating. "I'll be up in a minute," he said gruffly.
She nodded and then turned, taking a few steps and then stopping in her tracks. She spun around, shocking him a bit at the anger on her face. "What the hell is your problem with me?"
His eyebrows shot up. "Don't recall havin' a problem with ya, Blondie."
She scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "Bullshit. You haven't spoken to me. You leave the room if I walk into it and you go out of your way to avoid me. You're suppose to be my friend, Merle."
He studied her for a few long seconds before he shrugged. "You fuck all your friends, sugar?"
Her mouth dropped open at his words but she righted herself quickly. She shook her head and took a few steps backwards. "Fuck you, Merle," she spat.
He felt his temper rise then. "Is that why you opened them legs up for the good Sheriff, darlin'? Cause you was mad cause I didn't invite you to my room for a cuddle."
She would have shot him dead right then if she had been carrying. He could see it in her face. And another thing he saw had his jaw clenching. Confirmation. She had slept with Rick and he knew it. He could see it in her eyes and the thing that made him mad was the fact that it bothered him.
"Stay the hell away from, Merle," she said in a low voice.
"Gladly," he snapped and then stormed past her. He was on his way towards the house when he noticed someone coming towards him from the side. He didn't even glance to see who it was but when he heard the voice, for the second time that day, he stopped.
"Everything okay?" Rick asked.
It was the look. The knowing glint in Rick's eyes that did Merle in. That's what he told himself anyway. He threw himself at Rick with everything he had, knocking him to the ground. He lumbered over him, fists clinched. "Get up!" He snapped.
Rick was fast, that was for sure. He was on his feet and Merle felt a fist slam into his jaw before he could even blink. He didn't even feel it through the angry haze that clouded everything.
He struck out himself, catching Rick in the ribs and causing him to double over. When he did Merle landed a solid blow to the side of Rick's head before he felt someone pulling him away. He looked down and there was Andrea. Of course she would try to stop him from hurting her man.
He yanked his arm out of her grip and glared at her. "And you keep your goddamn hands off me," he snarled as he backed away. "Take care of your bitch over there before I kill him."
Andrea's eyes were wide as they landed on Rick. She took a tentative step towards the man and Merle turned, storming off towards the house. He needed to get the hell away from those two before he caused an even bigger stink than he already had. He'd kill him if he got the chance and right now there was too much going on for all of that. They had a psycho to find. They were still waiting on more of their group to show up. He had to bide his time and stay the hell away from them.
~H~
Carol turned up the hot water even though it was her own rule to go easy on it. She was tense and she was sore. The other day, in the basement, Sophia had suggested that Carol learn to fight too. To Carol's dismay Merle and Daryl had agreed. She was okay with a gun and she was actually quite good with a knife but she couldn't fight. Not really. So Merle and Daryl were showing her.
The muscles in her shoulders ached. Her nature made it hard for her to actually try to hurt Merle or Daryl so she held back a lot and the more she did the more rough they seemed to get with her. Merle was frustrated with her most of the time but Daryl understood her better. She was compassionate and a natural care giver. It wasn't really in her to cause someone else pain. But she needed to learn. Who knew what kind of people they would end up facing on the outside?
She closed her eyes and tilted her head up so the water rushed over her face. She heard the quiet hiss of the shower door sliding open and felt the draft hit her back. She smiled to herself, knowing it was Daryl.
She didn't turn to face him, instead choosing to let him come to her. Of course, he did within seconds. Rough hands slid over her hips, across her waist and then jerked her back into him a little roughly. She looked back over her shoulder but before she could say anything to him his lips met hers, his arms tightening around her.
"You were suppose to meet me in the basement," his voice rumbled against her ear causing her breath to catch. When his teeth nipped at her earlobe she tilted her head, exposing more of herself to him. His hands slid up to her breasts as his lips met the sensitive skin where her shoulder met her neck.
"I'm sore. I needed a break," she breathed as his hands worked her greedily.
"Sore, huh?" He muttered, one hand sliding back down and dipping swiftly between her legs.
She gasped and leaned further into him. Her hand went up, fingers tangling into his hair. She propped one leg up onto the side of the tub, giving him more access and she heard his breath come out in a hiss. She could feel him throbbing against the small of her back and she couldn't help but turn her head and grin at him knowingly.
He blinked water out of his eyes and then they met hers. He growled and grabbed her by the hip roughly as he readjusted himself behind her. This was new to her. There was an air of eagerness about him that was unlike his usual self control. His hand slid back around between her legs, his fingers working her frantically right before he pushed into her in one quick thrust that caught her off guard. She bit her lip to keep herself quiet but it was difficult with the way his fingers were still moving over her. He set a brutal pace that had her reaching above her to grip the shower head to help her keep from getting slammed right into the wall.
Her knees were starting to grow week once that now familiar heat started to fill her. The pressure swelled quickly after just a few minutes. He tightened his grip around her waist and she tightened her grip around the shower head pipe. Just before she plummeted over that edge his teeth sank into her shoulder. She let go, the pain, the insane pleasure and his frantic thrusts mixing into a toxic combination that had her squeezing her eyes shut tightly and breathing heavily through her nose to keep from crying out. Once she finally came down he slowed considerably and chuckled darkly into her shoulder.
The water wasn't nearly as hot as it had been and she wondered how long they had been in the shower. She didn't have time to wonder about it much because he was suddenly turning her around, claiming her mouth as he lifted her. He shoved her back into the tiles. She braced herself with her hands on his shoulders to insure she wouldn't fall but he had her trapped securely between the wall and his body. She locked her legs around his waist, moaning into his mouth as he kissed her and slammed into her again. His shoulders tensed under her hands and he pulled away from the kiss, gasping. He buried his face in her neck, growling.
When she felt him let go it sent her off once more. She held onto him tightly as he slowed his movements and then finally stilled, keeping her trapped for a few more minutes while he caught his breath. Finally he moved away from the wall and held her up until she unwound her legs and set her feet firmly on the floor.
"Now you can bitch about bein' sore," he grinned as her mouth dropped open with an audible pop before she laughed and smacked his chest hard.
He pulled her towards him, still grinning and she kissed him greedily as she shivered beneath the now frozen spray.
~H~
Shane met Sasha's eyes from across the small fire. He nodded to her and she moved over until she was sitting next to him. She was a strong woman as far as he could tell but the stress of their situation was getting to her so much that he could almost smell it.
They had assumed that the farm house would be a safe place to hole up for the night. For the most part it was but they had soon realized they had company. A group of ten men had stumbled into the house shortly after Shane, Tyreese and Sasha had settled in for the night. They were rough looking men for the most part. Shane's instincts had screamed at him to keep calm and do what he could to keep the situation as friendly as possible. They were outnumbered, if not out gunned, and he knew that if something happened to him and Tyreese, Sasha would be wishing for a quick death.
They had been friendly enough, not showing any outright aggression other than the way their eyes seemed to follow Sasha's every move. When Shane introduced her as his wife she hadn't questioned it. Instead she readily agreed, even introducing herself as Sasha Walsh when they had asked her name. Friendly or not these men were clearly predatory. Shane could see it in their eyes and he felt responsible to protect Sasha and her brother.
The men invited the three of them to come along with them and even though it wasn't in a threatening manner, it had still been an obvious threat. Shane didn't believe for a moment that they would let the three of them walk away. That had been three days ago and so far none of the men had tried anything. That didn't mean that Shane couldn't feel the tension. He needed to get them out of this. He had hidden the bag of guns in the farmhouse, knowing that these men wouldn't hesitate to take them.
"You got a plan?" Sasha whispered close to his ear.
The men were scattered about camp doing this and that. Tyreese was helping one of them with firewood and Shane just had to hope that he was okay out there. It wasn't like they could say no when the men asked them to help. Shane glanced down at her and shook his head.
"I thought maybe we can try and get away after they've all gone to sleep," He whispered back as his eyes scanned camp.
She nodded slightly. "They always post people on watch."
He looked down at her as she huddled into his side. Any other time he would have enjoyed himself but not right now. She was afraid and she was looking for comfort because of that. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "We might have to do something about them. Usually for watch they have two men take shifts. You might have to help me out but I think we can get it done."
She looked up sharply. "What do you mean, help you out?" She hissed.
He checked once more to make sure no one was paying attention to them and then put his lips near her ear. "You need to lead one of them off. Let him think that you're interested."
"And then what?" Her eyes were wide.
"Just calm down. After you do that, once his guard is down, stab him," He said as calmly as he could.
"Are you insane? I can't do that!" She nearly lost what little composure she had.
He sighed and looked up at the darkening sky. "Then your brother will be dead before the week is over. So will I. And you," he looked down, meeting her dark frightened eyes, "You'll be prayin' for death by the time their done."
Her eyes hardened at that and she looked out towards the sounds of men coming near. Her and Shane both breathed a sigh of relief when Tyreese emerged with the leader of the group. He gave Sasha and Shane a look that said he was relieved himself to find himself coming back to camp. It was the man that Tyreese had left with, the leader of this small group, that sent a chill down Shane's spine every time he looked at him. He wasn't quite right. He let off a vibe that was filled with menace and Shane worried that he would snap sooner rather than later. The way the man looked at Sasha didn't go unnoticed.
Tyreese sat down heavily on his sister's other side and sighed heavily. "Something is gonna have to be done soon," he muttered quickly before the rest of them came to gather around the fire.
Shane nodded. "We know," he whispered as he ran a nervous hand through his hair.