I don't know about y'all but the weather here is just beautiful! I'm loving the fact that Fall is right around the corner! I was going to do a chapter for Night and Day first, but I was feeling this one more at the moment. I am glad to see more of you have found my story and I appreciate all of your comments more than you know. I do hope you like this next chapter. I worked harder to make it longer for y'all!
Oh and don't forget to review! It's my birthday and that would make a wonderful present ;)
It didn't take Beth long to figure out what Merle had been talking about. In fact, she heard about it first thing the next morning. She had been on her way back from using the bathroom when she heard the voices. At first she dismissed them, still somewhat sleepy but trying to make it to the kitchen to help Carol with breakfast. Then she heard her name and she paused.
The voices were coming from one of the empty rooms near the showers and she stood just outside of the door, looking around to make sure that no one was nearby. The door was cracked open just a bit and she could just make out her Daddy and Rick talking. Her Daddy looked angry and Beth frowned. She couldn't imagine why. He had seemed fine last night. She pressed her ear closer.
"Absolutely not!" Hershel said firmly.
Rick sighed, "Listen, I know it's not ideal but he's good at what he does. We need his cooperation. As much as I hate it, Merle Dixon is our secret weapon. He knows more about the Governor than any of us and that gives us a slight advantage," Rick paced the small room in front of Hershel who was leaning against a table with his crutch resting next to him.
"I can understand that Rick, but that man spouts out too much filth. Daryl is just as good as Merle, isn't he? What about Michonne? I would be fine with either of them," Hershel responded.
"He wants to train Beth. He specifically asked for her," Rick said.
Beth gasped silently in the hallway. Merle had asked for her? Why had he done that?
"I don't trust him. What business does he have asking for my daughter? She's only eighteen and he's what? Pushing thirty-five? How does that look to you Rick?"
Rick ran a hand through his hair, his hip cocked out in a signature Rick pose, "I know how it looks Hershel. Believe me, I know. But Beth needs work. Let's face it. She's not as strong as some of the other women here and if anybody can make her stronger, I think its Merle. Either way, I made a deal with the man so it's done," Rick commented.
She could see her Daddy narrow his eyes at Rick. She knew he thought a lot of Rick, but her Daddy could only be pushed so far. She wondered what was going to come of it.
"What kind of deal Rick?" Hershel crossed his arms.
"I told him I would make everyone back off him for a bit if he would help us out," Rick replied.
Hershel nodded, "So he needed something in return for helping us out? That's exactly what I mean. The man is cold! I will not allow someone like that around my daughter!" Hershel shouted.
Beth felt a tickle on her neck and then a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly away from the door. She turned in surprise, prepared to shout, when she looked up into the face of Merle Dixon himself. He placed a finger to his lips and began pulling her behind him down the hallway until they were far enough away from the door so that their voices wouldn't carry.
"Takin' up a new hobby?" He asked.
She blushed, thankful for the shadows that would hopefully conceal it, "I didn't mean to be eavesdropping…I just heard my name and paused for a moment," She explained.
He snorted, "I reckon ya heard tha news then. I expect ya out behind tha prison after breakfast. I'll be waitin' so don't be late. Now get on back to tha others," He gestured with a nod of his head.
She wanted to stay and talk to him although she wasn't sure why. Standing in the hallway with him so close had made her very aware of him in the way she had when he had pinned her against the bars of his cell. It made her feel…wicked. He pulled away from her though and she figured he was dismissing her. She headed back towards the kitchen, feeling his eyes on her until she rounded the corner.
Carol had already fixed up some oatmeal for breakfast when Beth entered the room so she grabbed some bowls and began setting them out for everyone as they shuffled in. There were some grumbles about oatmeal again but most everyone was quiet as they entered the room.
Beth had just sat down with her bowl when her Daddy, Rick and Merle walked in the room. She could tell there was tension between the men and she wondered what had been said in her absence. Merle looked at her and winked as he walked past with his oatmeal. He took his customary seat on the steps away from everyone else and balanced the bowl in his lap so that he could eat.
Maggie set her bowl down next to Beth and mumbled a good morning and Beth smiled at her sister. Her Daddy took the spot across the table from her, shooting several glances in her direction but he remained silent. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the sounds of the metal spoons scraping against the bowls as everyone shoveled down the oatmeal to try and quell their hunger pangs.
It was Rick who finally spoke, trying to clear the silence, "We're going to be starting some training today," He commented. Beth watched her Daddy carefully but he didn't look up as Rick spoke. She noticed that Daryl shot a look in Rick's direction. "For the most part, I need everyone who is able on fences today. There will be a couple of you excused from normal activities this week as you train though," Rick cleared his throat.
"Whose doin' all this trainin' ya talkin' 'bout?" Daryl spoke up.
"Well, I've got Merle and Beth set for this week and also Carl and Michonne," Rick replied.
Beth looked to Michonne but as usual the woman's face was blank, but it appeared as though she had already been informed of this new situation. It was hard to tell because the woman never expressed much emotion. Beth thought she had the poker face down to a science.
"Merle?" Daryl spat.
Rick nodded, "Yes. Merle is a good fighter. He trained a lot of people at Woodbury," Rick glanced over at Merle who was ignoring everyone.
Beth could feel Maggie tense next to her and her sister turned to her, "You're letting that man train you?" She whispered.
Beth's eyes widened and then she shrugged, not wanting to cause an argument, "I guess its Rick's call," She responded.
Maggie sighed and Beth saw Glenn reach his hand around to rub her back. He knelt behind Maggie, his eyes on hers. "You watch out for him Beth. If he does anything-"
Beth interrupted him, "I'll find you if I need you. Thanks Glenn," She said softly.
She felt a brush of wind next to her and looked up just in time to see Merle pass by her to take his bowl over to the tub they had set out for dirty dishes. He didn't say anything to her but she remembered his words from before about how she shouldn't be late. No one said a thing to him as he exited the room and she felt sort of bad for him, being the outcast and all. She hurriedly finished her oatmeal, suddenly eager to get started on her new training.
Merle leaned next to the bricks behind the prison, sharpening his blade. He had to hand it to the farmer; he had given Merle hell about taking out his youngest. The man had stuck his finger in Merle's face and everything, threatening to put a bullet into his ass if he dared to lay a hand on the girl. The man had guts, he would give him that. Merle held his tongue and let the man say what he felt necessary though. He wasn't looking to pick a fight with a one legged man.
He had heard everything the others had said over breakfast. Especially the way they had talked about him almost as if he wasn't even in the same room. The officer had kept up his end of the bargain though, coming to Merle's defense about the training. He knew it had to have been a stretch for the man but he respected him for holding good to his promise.
He heard her small footsteps before he saw her. He kept sharpening his knife as she came around the side of the building and stopped in front of him. He saw that she was dressed in her customary jeans, shirt, and boots that they all favored. She waited as he continued sharpening, waiting to see how long it would take her to say something.
Several long minutes passed before she spoke, "Should I be doing something?" She asked.
He finished his last swipe of the blade and looked at her, "Five laps 'round tha prison yard. Report back ta me when yer done," He muttered.
She widened her eyes, clearly not expecting that and it was all he could do not to chuckle at her expression.
"Five laps? I thought we were training me to fight?" She asked.
He nodded, "That we are darlin'. Gotta getcha' in shape first though. Ain't doin' a bit o' us any good if ya can't run from tha walkers without strugglin' fer breath," He said.
She frowned, "But I'm not out of shape. I can run just fine," She insisted.
He smirked, "Alright then. Prove it. Run tha laps an' then we'll talk." He waited, testing her. He wanted to see how badly she wanted this, how much she really craved to learn. If she was serious about the training, then she would suck it up and do as he asked but if not, then there wasn't much he could do with her until she was. She stood there for a few minutes just staring at him. He lifted his eyes and met her gaze, giving her an intense stare. Finally she sighed and took off in a jog, shaking her head as she went. He smiled to himself as he watched her jog the fence. She was going to do just fine when he was done with her.
"Five laps. Seriously?" Beth muttered under her breath as she began to jog the fence. She could feel his eyes on her as she ran back around to the front and she had no doubt that he would know if she stopped jogging or not.
She could see other members of the group trickling out into the main yard, dragging into a pile the rest of the bodies of walkers that had yet to be burned. All that was left of cleaning up was getting rid of the bodies of the dead. After that, they would work on reinforcing everything in preparation of another inevitable attack. She felt safe as she ran and several members of the group turned to look at her as she passed. She could see Michonne and Carl out in the midst of the field. Michonne was speaking softly to him and when she looked up and saw Beth, she paused and then continued on with whatever she was telling the boy.
The first lap passed by with no problem and as she circled back around to her starting point, she could see that Merle hadn't moved. In fact the man was resting against the wall, almost as if he was napping. She gritted her teeth, feeling the burn in her legs but determined to push herself further. She was definitely feeling it as she began to slow halfway through the second lap. She tried to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth like she remembered from gym class but it wasn't helping. As she passed by Merle the second time, she thought she saw the briefest of smiles cross his face but it disappeared as quickly as it came. She bit her tongue, wanting to curse the man for making her do something as silly as run laps while Carl was down there learning more important things from Michonne. It didn't help that she could see the glances that Carl, Rick, and even Carol were giving her as she made her laps. They clearly felt sorry for her, as shown by the expressions of sympathy they wore on their faces.
On her last lap, she had to jog around Daryl and Rick who were talking by the fence. Daryl stared at her intently as she passed and she wondered if he would be having more words with Merle later. She finally made it to the finish and she collapsed to the ground in front of Merle as she came to a stop. She was panting heavily, proud of herself for making it the whole five laps. It hadn't been an easy task but she was just glad it was over.
Merle stood up straight then and handed her a bottle of water that she hadn't seen there earlier. He must have gone into the prison to get it at some point.
"Here. Need ta keep yerself hydrated. Don't want yer Pops sayin' I mistreated ya none," He said. She accepted the water gratefully, drinking it as fast as her body would accept it. He frowned, "Ya best be slowin' down on that. Drinkin' too fast is gonna make ya body throw it back up," He warned.
It was too late. She had already chugged down at least half of the bottle before taking a breath. She could feel her stomach cramping and she thrust the water to the side, turning her body so that she could throw up.
"Shit," She heard him mutter. She felt him kneel behind her and he used his hand to pull a few strands of hair out of her face. The gesture touched her. She didn't think of him as the type to do something like that.
She heaved up the last of the water and her stomach slowly started to feel better. He let go of her hair to hand her a rag that he produced from his back pocket. She wiped her face and mouth with it gratefully. He stood back up, his earlier concern gone as quickly as it had come.
"Take yerself five minutes an' then we got more work ta do," He said.
She gaped up at him, "More work? I just ran five laps for you," She argued.
He snorted, "And? Ya want a pat on tha back or somethin'? Nobody ever said this shit was gonna be easy. If ya want somethin' bad enough, ya gotta work for it. Ya want tha easy way out; ya can go on down there an' join tha Ninja. I hear she's givin' out yoga lessons or some shit like that," Merle growled.
Beth stood up on shaky, rubbery, legs. She wasn't sure they would support her after her run but they did. "Fine. I don't need five minutes. I'm ready now," She replied.
He arched an eyebrow, "Is that right?" She thought she detected a hint of surprise in his voice but she held her ground and nodded. "Well let's get down ta business then," He said.
"Lead the way," She replied. He was trying to break her but she would show him. Merle Dixon had underestimated just how badly she wanted this.