This is going to be the last chapter for a few days! I have a lot of catching up to do! I've tried to do right by you all and give you what I know you like. Most of you seem to be a fan of the smut ;) Some of you are really into the humor XD So I figured I would combine the two and give you a little of both for this one. Not every sexual encounter is going to be all heat and fireworks. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way! Most of us already know that. Haha, so I fit it into this chapter, just for you realists out there ;) Thank you, every one of you, for reviewing! And to Green Owl, nice lookin' out, my friend ;) Hope everyone has a great weekend and stay safe!

Chapter Eighty

After the excitement of finding Morgan finally quieted they were taken to their rooms. Merle wasn't really impressed. He felt dejected and wasn't even sure why. Or he didn't want to admit that he knew why, anyway. He was glad the boy had found his dad. That was a good thing. He'd miss him though. Who the fuck would have ever thought that. That he, Merle fucking Dixon, would find it in himself to take in some stray. And a black kid at that. But that shit didn't matter anymore. It was the one thing that Rick had said that day on the roof that had stuck a bit. Didn't matter what color they were, they were all food for Walkers and that's what mattered now.

"You okay?" Maggie asked as he stared out the window onto the street below.

"This place is just fucked up." He grumbled. "Look at it. It ain't normal."

He heard her quiet laugh and then felt her hands slide around his waist. "This is the most normal place I've seen since we left the farm." She said into his back. "On the surface, anyhow."

He shook his head. "You miss the part where the world turned itself upside down, girl? This shit ain't what normal looks like now days. This is fuckin' creepy."

"Well, we didn't get gunned down. They didn't take our weapons. That's somethin', ain't it? We even have electricity, hot showers. Maybe it wont be so bad."

"Distractions, darlin'. I don't trust that smiley mother fucker, or that twitchy eyed asshole that's always with him either. Every fuckin' time my brother turns his head that guys eyeballin' Carol."

"Carol's really pretty." Maggie shrugged.

"And she's Daryl's woman. It ain't no fuckin' secret. Hell, they think he's her husband." He growled.

"You Dixon's are a possessive pair, you know that?"

He grunted but then covered her hands with his own when they locked over his stomach.

"You're grouchy cause you miss Duane?" She asked.

He snorted. "Fuck no. Kid was always hoverin' around. He got on my nerves."

She slipped around him until she was blocking his view of the street below. It was harder for him to keep his bad mood in place when she was looking at him like that. "I hover. I'm with you all the time. Do I get on your nerves?" Her eyebrows shot up.

He frowned. "All the time."

She laughed and then shoved him, even though she couldn't get him to budge. "You're just mean, Merle Dixon. There ain't a soft spot to be found." She hid a smile.

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Not lately, darlin'.

She laughed and was about to kiss him when someone knocked on the door.

"Mother fuck." He grumbled as he stormed over and opened the door with a glare. It was the last person he wanted to see.

Philip was standing there with that infuriatingly charming smile on his face.

"Yeah," Merle bit out, eyes narrowing.

"You two getting settled in alright?" He asked as he looked past Merle and eyed Maggie.

"Yep." Merle growled.

Philip nodded and met his eyes once more. "There's a building across the street. It serves as a Town Hall of sorts. I was wondering if you and the rest of the men in your group could meet me there in about an hour."

Merle eyed him. "Men, huh? You got a problem with our women?"

Philip glanced towards Maggie again and Merle had to grind his teeth together to keep from saying anything to him about it.

"Not at all. I just thought maybe it would be best to discuss some things with the key players in the group for now. Meaning you, your brother, Rick. Some of the others."

Merle studied the mans face for a few long uncomfortable seconds and then finally nodded. "Fine."

Philip nodded and then turned to walk away before stopping once more. "I almost forgot. I have a few of my men working on something for you. It will probably be ready by the time I see you again. I think you'll approve."

Merle, although curious, just grunted and shut the door.

He turned and glanced at Maggie. She looked pissed.

"What the hell was that about? Only needin' to see the men? That man isn't just a creep, he's a sexist asshole." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

He shrugged. "I don't want them fuckers around you anyway."

Her eyes narrowed further. "Why?"

"Cause I don't trust'em." He grumbled as he sat down heavily on the bed.

She put her hands on his shoulders and put her forehead against his. "You trust me?" She asked as she sank down onto his lap.

"I never really thought about it." He said as honestly as he could. He didn't trust anybody but his brother as a general rule but things weren't like they used to be. "I ain't in the habit of puttin' a lot a trust in other folks. Not much sense in settin' yourself up for the let down if ya know what I mean."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and frowned. "No. I don't know what'cha mean."

"I don't suppose you would." He said.

This caused her frown to deepen. "Ya think I'm gonna do somethin' to let ya down?"

He shook his head. Why the fuck did women set men up for shit like this? He always said that he wouldn't never let a bitch bait him into some dumb shit fight. He saw it happen in shows all the time. He never thought he would have to worry about it and now here he was, getting set up for a fight with her. "That ain't what I said." He growled.

"Yes it is." She said in a low voice.

"Yeah, Maggie. I trust that you ain't gonna go around Woodbury fuckin' every man that looks at ya. Are ya happy now?"

She glared at him but then she grinned. This girl was crazy.

"Yeah, I'm happy now." She winked. "That is about all I expected outta you anyway."

"What the hell does that mean?" He asked as she pressed herself closer, making him forget that he was vaguely offended.

She didn't answer him but her mouth was on his in an instant, hot and needy as she shoved him down onto his back. He had been putting a lot of thought into how to handle her now that the hard part was over. Another huge change for him. He never really gave a shit about pleasing a woman before. As long as he was satisfied then that was the important part. Philip said an hour. He needed longer than an hour.

He rolled over, pinning her under him. "Not right now." He growled but his mouth was skimming across her collar bone, causing her to wrap her legs around him to keep him in place.

"Why not?" She panted as his tongue dipped into the hollow at the base of her throat.

"Ain't got time." He rasped but he ground himself against her anyway causing himself to groan and her to whimper. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

"We got time." She insisted as she pulled his face towards hers once more.

"Not enough time," He panted as he drew his head back and looked at her. How the fuck had he gotten so fucking lucky?

She huffed out a frustrated breath. "Fine. I gotta take a shower. A cold one, thank you very much, Merle. And when you get back you ain't leavin' again till mornin'." She shoved at his chest until he rolled off of her. "And you wont be able to leave then either cause by then you'll be too exhausted to move." She stood up and angrily pulled clean clothes out of her bag as he watched from the bed.

"That's some kinda punishment, girl." He winked as she huffed past him.

~H~

Daryl's back hit the tile floor hard, nearly knocking the wind out of him. The back of his head hit too but it was his back that took the brunt of the fall. He grunted slightly at the pain but was soon once again swept away by sensations much more intense than the bumps he had taken.

Carol landed on top of him, water dripping into his eyes from her hair. He was about to ask her if she was okay but as soon as he opened his mouth he felt her hot tongue trace his bottom lip and then he forgot what he was suppose to have asked her in the first place.

They had started out in the shower. Everything was fine until he slipped on something and fell backwards, bringing her with him. The shower curtain ripped and was now under him. Lucky for him it was a stand up shower, no tub. The fall could have been a lot worse. His head was starting to sting a little more though.

He tried to readjust himself under her since is legs were still in the shower but she chose that moment to raise her head up and look at him. Suddenly all the lust left her eyes.

"Oh my God. You're bleeding." She gasped as she tried to move off of him.

"No I ain't." He argued huskily and then grabbed her hips, keeping her in place.

"Daryl, your head. There's blood. We have to stop." She groaned and then her mouth came crashing down on his when he roughly moved her hips back and forth on him.

He didn't care if he'd been shot, she wasn't going anywhere just yet. She jerked her mouth away.

"You could really be hurt, I have to get off..."

"I'm workin' on it, woman. Shut. Up." He growled.

"Daryl, you're head..."

With another throaty growl he rolled her over so she was under him and crushed her mouth with his once more to stifle her objections. When he felt her wet arms wrap around his neck he slid his lips down to her throat, tasting water and skin as he went. Until he reached the top of one breast. "Augh!" He turned his head quickly and spit. "Fuckin' soap." He growled. He had gotten himself a whole mouth full.

She almost laughed until he once again found his rhythm. It was hard to keep up though since his knees kept slipping on the stupid plastic shower curtain and when he tried to readjust he realized that when he had rolled her under him he had rolled them both up in it. Now he was stuck.

This was turning into a mess. But he could tell she was close so he kept going. The closer she got the more he seemed to slip on the plastic and then suddenly there was an obnoxious bang on the bathroom door.

"Get your ass in gear, little brother!" Merle yelled from the other side. "We gotta be across the street in five minutes!"

"Goddamn it, Merle." He growled and almost said to hell with it. This was like a bad joke but when he stopped her arms tightened around his neck, "Don't stop." She pleaded quietly.

He didn't need anymore encouragement, it didn't matter that she had been fighting it, or that his head was really starting to pound or he had the taste of soap coating his tongue, or his brother was just on the other side of the unlocked door. It didn't even matter that his movements were clumsy and awkward the way he was slipping around, he just kept going.

"Daryl, I know you're in there dumb ass, I can hear the fuckin' shower goin'." Merle roared.

He glanced towards the door and then down at her face once more. Her eyes were huge, pupils dilated, biting lightly at her bottom lip.

Suddenly her teeth let go of her lip and her mouth opened slightly and he instantly covered it with his own to keep her from making any noise. Usually he would have been right with her but under the current circumstances it was going to take him longer than it did her.

Or so he thought. He pulled his mouth away from hers as soon as he felt it.

"What the hell, bro!" Merle yelled.

"Jesus Christ, Merle, shut the fuck up for five fucking seconds." Daryl roared and then he dropped his head to her shoulder as he finally let go. It wasn't the best he had felt, especially compared to everything else they had done last night but he still shuddered like a teenager.

Merle was laughing now. "I get it now. You coulda just said somethin'."

Daryl growled into her wet skin. "Sometimes I wanna shoot that man." He grumbled as he tried to get loose from the shower curtain so he could grab his clothes.

"Lets stick to beds from now on. This didn't work out all that great." She laughed.

He almost had himself loose when the bathroom door finally opened. He knew it was coming. Merle was a real mother fucker sometimes and he knew this was going to happen eventually. But the shower curtain was dark blue and pretty thick so the asshole couldn't see anything. Now he was kind of glad that he had wrapped it around them.

"Well, damn it." Merle grinned as he stared down at them. "I missed the whole show." he winked.

Carol had to turn her head away. She looked like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Get your ass out, you perverted idiot." Daryl grumbled.

"Goddamn, little brother. You two are a couple animals. We ain't had these rooms for a night yet and you're already wreckin' yours."

Carol finally faced the grinning man. "Merle, get out." She said firmly.

He sighed and then shut the door.

"Sorry." Daryl grumbled as he finally freed himself and made a grab for their clothes. "He's an ass."

She slipped her shirt over her head and smirked. "He's just Merle. I'm used to him by now."

"I've been around him damn near my whole life, I ain't used to him yet." He mumbled as they made their way out of the bathroom.

Merle was sitting on the loveseat that sat flush against the wall next to the door. He looked up at them and then shook his head. "Animals." He said again with a grin.

~H~

Sophia was rooming with Beth again. She liked Beth but she didn't have a whole lot in common with the older girl. She figured that eventually she would have more to say to her but right now there just wasn't anything to say. She figured Carl would have made his way to her room by now. She was itching to get his take on these new developments. Did this mean Duane wasn't a part of their group anymore?

She was so glad that he had found his dad. She couldn't have possibly been more happy for him. But she still worried that she would lose him. He was just like a brother to her. More than Carl. Carl was something else. He was her best friend. A very confusing best friend. But Duane was different and she already missed him. He hadn't been with them long. A month or a little more but a month in this world counted for years. They had all three been through so much.

A soft knock at the door brought her out of her sullen mood and she rushed to open it just as Beth was walking out of the bathroom, head wrapped in a towel.

She almost squealed when she saw Duane standing there with his dad. She threw her arms around his neck and grinned. "I didn't know when I'd see you again!"

He laughed and patted her back. "I'm in the room across the hall with my dad."

"You're kidding!" She was grinning so wide that her face actually hurt. She finally noticed Morgan smiling down at them. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Sophia." She said politely. Her mom would have been proud.

"Morgan." He said kindly. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Damn, Duane!" She grumbled.

Duane looked up and grinned at his dad. "I told you."

"Have you seen Carl?" She asked suddenly.

He shook his head. As soon as we drew on Martinez Lori flipped her lid. We may not see him again until the two of you are old enough to get married."

Sophia glared at him until he held his hands up. "Sorry." He grinned.

"Do you guys want to come in?" She asked, remembering they were all still standing in the hallway.

"Yeah, my dad has to go to some meeting so I was gonna stay here with you. It was you or deal with an angry Lori. I choose you."

"I'm flattered." She mumbled sarcastically as she dragged him into her room by the hand. "It was nice to meet you, Morgan!" She called before she shut the door.

Once she had the door shut she pulled Duane towards the actual bedroom and shut the door behind her. She turned around excitedly. "So, what's your dad say about this place? How long has he been here? Did they rescue him?" She asked in a rush.

"It's fine so far. Three weeks. Yes." He deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "So, it's safe? Like, really safe? Did they disarm him?"

"So far. So far. Yes, until a week ago."

She rolled her eyes. "Would you stop it! Talk to me, Duane."

He sat down in one of two chairs that were facing the window looking down on the street. "He said they found him on the road. By then he was delirious. He'd been trying to find me. He had been beaten up pretty bad by Randal's group and he thinks they thought he was dead when they left him in the woods. He didn't recognize Randal so he must have been telling the truth when he told us that he hadn't seen my dad."

"God, Duane. I'm sorry all that happened to him." She sat in the chair across from him.

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Ain't nothin' now. That stuff don't matter. I got my dad back and I got the group."

"Unless we don't stay. We still don't know if we can trust these guys. We could still have to leave. And you would have to stay." This thought caused her chest to ache.

He shook his head. "My dad said it isn't a bad place. He said they gave him a gun and everything. It's like a real community. He takes a shift at night to watch the wall. We could all really have a life here."

Her eyes traveled towards the darkening window. "I don't know Duane. Nothing is setting right with me, you know? I can't explain it but something is really off about this place."

He shook his head stubbornly. "That's the Dixon talking. You can look around and tell that it's okay."

She gazed at him for a long moment as she chose her next words wisely. "Just this afternoon you thought the same thing. It isn't just what Merle and Daryl say. It's what I feel." She met his eyes squarely. "Does this mean your out? Are you still going with Merle to get the guns tonight? You said yourself your dad has night shift."

Duane was frowning. "I owe Merle. Big time. Anything he needs help with then I'll be there to help him. But I trust my dad, Sophia. I want to stay here."

Her head snapped back towards the window as she felt those stupid tears start to fill her eyes. "I want everything to be okay here. But I can't say I want to stay. If we leave then we'll probably never see you again. I just don't think Daryl or Merle will go for this."

"Sophia, it doesn't have to be like that. You think I want to stay here if you guys leave?" He asked in a soft voice that had her looking back at him. He actually winced when he saw the pain on her face.

"But you will." She whispered.

He looked down and then nodded. "I have to stay with my dad."

She nodded. She understood. She would do the same thing. She couldn't even find that switch to make this sadness turn into anger. She couldn't be mad at Duane.

He stood up and then pulled her up by the hand. He hugged her and that seemed to make her feel even worse.

"Maybe you're right." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"I hope so." He mumbled back and she heard her own sadness mirrored in his voice.

I always end up putting the humor right in the middle of the intense stuff. I do not do that on purpose but it works. Hope you liked that awkward slippery shower sex. Head injury, mouth full of soap and sliding around on some plastic and still our man perseveres! Such a trooper ;) Thanks for readin'! =)