"Mr. Dixon, we would like to speak with you and your brother. Are you available this afternoon?"
He had received the phone call that morning and quickly stopped Merle from drinking anymore of the whiskey he was consuming for breakfast. The were in the truck, on the way to the studio. "This is fucking stupid," Daryl grumbled.
"It's only been two days since our first interview, they definitely want us," Merle replied. "Cheer up asswipe. We're gonna be TV stars."
Daryl clenched his jaw. He was still incredibly angry about the interview and what Merle had done. They asked for complete disclosure and he would have answered all the questions truthfully, but he had been called into an ambush. Merle had disclosed his own childhood abuse at the hands of their father so the first thing they had done was ask Daryl. Merle didn't know. If he wanted to be rational about the whole thing it wasn't Merle's fault. And afterwards Merle had been quite kind and considerate about the whole thing - but Daryl didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to think about it. And he surely didn't want it to be included on some damn television show.
Hell, he didn't even want to be a part of this thing. The money was the only reason he agreed. If he got the role he could move out of Merle's, find his own place in a better part of town, or even buy some rural property and build a home in the woods, shoot deer and game off his back deck. He was way too old to be living with his brother and whatever random woman he was with at the time. But he'd never found a job that paid enough to get his own apartment, so he just stayed with Merle day after day, year after year.
When they got inside the building it was a lot different this time. There was no line up or room filled with people. They were led to a small waiting room with only a few others. There was a black man, which Merle, being the racist asshole he was, refused to sit beside, opting instead to sit beside an older white man who appeared to be extremely chatty, leaving the seat beside him vacant for Daryl to sit beside a young asian man. Merle smirked at him as if he'd won some contest. But Daryl ignored him - he didn't share his brother's white supremacist views even if Merle always believed he did.
Daryl thanked the Lord, even though he never really believed in god, when the older man - Dale - was called out of the waiting room. He'd never heard anyone talk that much. Daryl scanned the room a little more, disappointed when he didn't see that Carol woman from the other day. She seemed nice - and it didn't hurt that she was really pretty. Not Merle's kind of pretty. That was the two blonde women sitting across the room talking to the cop's wife.
Cops. Two of them. How the hell was that going to work when it came out that Merle was a dealer? Or used to be, as he liked to tell people, though Daryl knew differently. Money was coming from somewhere.
"Merle, Daryl, come with me," a woman called them from the door. Finally, let's get this shit over, he thought heading for the door. Merle stopped on the way out and said something to one of the attractive blondes. Daryl didn't hear but judging by the look on her face it was likely crude and disgusting.
A man greeted them when they entered. "Hi, I'm Jeff, we didn't meet the other day - but David filled me in." He shook their hands. All this formal shit was making Daryl extremely uncomfortable. He just wanted to be out in the woods with his crossbow, hunting deer. "Please sit." Merle sat and Daryl hovered until his brother started to glare.
"Daryl, the man asked us to sit," he hissed. Daryl slumped into a chair. "Sorry, my brother here is still a bit traumatized from telling y'all about our old man beating his ass. He's a very sensitive soul. Heart of gold and all that." Daryl kicked Merle's foot. He was laying it on way too thick again.
"I'm going to be honest with you both," Jeff said, leaning forward on the table. "Daryl, barring anything coming up in our investigation into your story - we want to offer you a role on the show." His heart started to pound. Was this really happening? "There are a few more things we would need to do," he continued. "Including some screen testing today."
"What, like I have to piss in a cup?" Daryl asked.
"Oh, no," Jeff looked amused and Daryl blushed. "Screen testing is where we have an actor read a few lines, sometimes with another actor and we film it to see how you look on camera."
"Oh," he mumbled, already worrying about what that might entail.
"Now, as for Merle, we have some concerns -" Jeff said, turning his attention. "We just aren't sure we're ready to risk taking a chance on you with your admitted drug use."
"Ah, come on, it's just some recreational pot, a little coke - all kinds of actors out in hollywood use," Merle protested. Daryl wished it was only pot and coke and there were no track marks on Merle's arms from shooting crystal meth and he didn't have a medicine cabinet full of narcotics.
"If you want me you gotta take him too," Daryl piped up. "Both or neither." He crossed his arms and tried to ignore the look of pride on Merle's stupid face. The ultimatum was risky, but the truth was Daryl was actually hoping they let them both go and saved him a lot of anxiety.
Jeff gave David a look and he nodded. "We are prepared to make you an offer Mr. Dixon," he said to Merle. "If you leave here today and sign into a treatment facility in the city, our expense - it's a very, very good place, and complete the program the job is yours."
Daryl had never seen Merle look so stunned. "I have to leave right now? Today?"
"Yes, we have a car waiting to take you there now," David replied. "But if you leave here the offer is done. We have plenty of others we could use instead."
They were playing hardball and Daryl nervously watched the exchange. "I can get clean on my own," Merle protested. "What if you set up weekly piss tests or something?"
"This is our only offer, take it or leave it," Jeff said. "This is a huge deal, for you and for us. It's a lot of money on both ends. Life changing. Career changing. We're not willing to allow some junkie to screw it up."
Merle was quiet. Silent Merle was never a good thing. But his brother may have never been in a situation like this, where he didn't have the upperhand before. "Okay, let's go," Merle replied finally, shocking the shit out of Daryl.
"Just like that?" Daryl spat.
Merle stood. "Do what you gotta do," he said with a shrug. Daryl was feeling a bit panicked. He was used to having Merle around even if he was fucking annoying. Daryl stood and Merle hugged him. "Don't fuck this up," he whispered. "If Dayna calls break up with her for me," Merle said. "Later Bro."
"Bye," Daryl said, watching in stunned silence as Merle was led out of the room.
"Okay," Jeff said. "Let's get you to that screen test." They certainly didn't waste any time. Daryl followed him out and down the hall. "We have you reading with one of the ladies we are potentially casting." Jeff opened a door and a man handed Daryl a piece of paper. "Head on in there with her and the director will let you know what he wants," Jeff added, pointing towards a little sound stage. Daryl's heart hammered nervously, but it pounded harder when he saw who was waiting for him. It was the woman from the other day - Carol.
The next few minutes were a complete blur. Daryl was so nervous he could barely hear what the director was saying to him. His hand holding the paper was shaking. When he looked at Carol she smiled at him and that only made it worse. She was beautiful.
Somehow he was able to read the script, but very badly, missing words, stumbling over words like he didn't know how to read. It was an absolute mess.
"Okay, this isn't working," the director guy interrupted them. "Give me back those scripts." Well I guess that's it, Daryl thought. They won't want me now. "We're gonna try something else." Shit. "You two know each other?"
"Not really," Carol shook her head. "We met briefly at the auditions."
"I want you to pretend you're meeting for the first time. Just make introductions and a little small talk," he said. "Let's try this instead. Acting coaches will help with the rest, I just need something on film that's not awkward and forced."
Well fuck. Daryl didn't do small talk. If the director thought them reading the script was awkward this was bound to be worse.
"Whenever you're ready. Pretend we're not even here."
Daryl shifted his weight and felt his face burning. But Carol looked calm. "Hi," she said, extending her hand to shake. "I'm Carol."
"Uh, Daryl," he replied, blushing harder when his voice cracked like a teenage boy going through puberty.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a smile. If she noticed the crack - of course she noticed - she was just ignoring it for his benefit. "What's new? Anything exciting happen today?" She asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
Daryl's mind raced and he blurted the first thing he could think of. "My brother went to rehab in the city."
"Oh," Carol looked shocked. "Um, I'm sorry? Or, uh, good for him?" She obviously wasn't sure how to react.
"It's a good thing," Daryl confirmed. "Gonna be quiet at home for a while," he added with a shrug.
Her face changed and she smiled warmly. "Well maybe this means you're free for coffee later?" Wait, what? Was she serious? No, Daryl decided. She was acting and she was pretty damn good at it, much better than he was.
"Sure," he agreed with a nod. Why not say yes, it wasn't real.
Before Carol could respond the director jumped in. "And cut," he yelled. "Great job guys, thank you. Jeff will love this." He looked excited. "You two have insane chemistry, can't fake this stuff." Daryl felt like he was in the twilight zone. He was sure they were going to tell him they didn't want him. "So you can both go now, someone will be in touch in a day or two with the next step."
Carol picked up her purse and headed out. He followed, catching up to walk beside her since they were both go]ing in the same direction. It felt so strange to have showed up with Merle but leave without him - like he was forgetting something. "So," she looked at him sideways. "Where are you taking me for coffee?"
"Oh, uh, you were serious?" he stammered. Shit, she was looking at him with those pretty eyes that made him feel funny - like extra warm inside.
"Only if you want to," she replied. "But yes, I was serious."
Daryl was absolutely panicked. He didn't have a lot of experience with women like this. His experience was more women that Merle pushed his way or tipsy girls at the bar who thought he would be a good lay. Coffee meant talking - small talk - she had to know already he sucked at it. But there was something about her he really liked and they would be working together in the future. "There's a diner, just a couple blocks over, we could walk."
"Sounds perfect," she replied.
"Perfect," he echoed her words, wondering if she would still think it was a perfect idea after spending 10 minutes with him. He held the door for her and waved her through, with one last thought of his perverted brother as he checked out Carol's ass on her way by.