Okay. Night and Day peeps: I know y'all hate me for updating here and not there, but if you're reading this, please know that I haven't forgotten you. The muse is a little road blocked on that one at the moment. I'm going to try to go and piddle with that one right now, but if it doesn't come out by seven then it's not making it out tonight. SEASON 4 y'all! LOL! Anyway, things are getting a little interesting with our Meth couple so I hope y'all like it! Thanks for the most awesome reviews! Couldn't ask for better reviewers y'all! I'm humbled, truly.
One week had passed since Maggie and Glenn had gone on their run for more antibiotics. It had taken them almost all day, but they had finally made it back with several antibiotics that they had found in a house along the way. She had been taking them every day and yesterday her daddy had claimed that the infection seemed to be gone, but they still needed to keep a close eye on it for a bit. The pain had faded, but she still hadn't looked at it. Even though Merle had seen it and declared it not to be that bad, she still didn't know if she wanted to see it. Running her fingers over it last night she had felt the scaly skin and the slight ridges from the burn. She couldn't imagine what it would look like if it felt like that.
The prison itself had been a flurry of activity in the past week. Everyone was always busy doing something to try and make their home more secure. Merle, Daryl, and Morgan frequently traveled just outside the fences to secure various traps that would hopefully allow them to catch the Governor and his men should they return. They had managed to find more fencing and secure the outer field once again. It wasn't as it had been before, but it was better than nothing. Everyone pulled their own weight, even Beth. She was either watching Judith or helping to cook if Carol was busy doing otherwise. There was no shortage of things to be done. She could sense a feeling of tension throughout the group. Ever since the Governor's attack, Rick had placed them all on high alert and none of them were allowed to go anywhere alone unless it was inside the cellblock.
Maggie had changed since Beth had gotten burned. Her sister still talked to her, but they hadn't held a whole conversation since that night. She knew it had something to do with Merle and it hurt her to think that her sister disapproved so strongly. She knew there was still a lot of bad blood between her sister, Glenn, and Merle after Merle had beaten Glenn at Woodbury. Beth had never asked Merle about that although she had wondered about it. The Merle she knew at the prison didn't sound like the Merle that everyone talked about at Woodbury. There had been a change between Rick, Hershel, and Merle. She had begun to notice the subtle shift as Merle was being included into the "inner circle" of the men. Glenn had began to step back from being involved in decisions, choosing instead to remain by Maggie's side and Beth wondered again if that was because of Merle or something else. It annoyed her that her group that she cared so much about couldn't all seem to forgive Merle.
Merle had spent several nights in her cell with her since the first night. He never touched her intimately, but he was there just the same. She was growing attached to him being there at night and the couple of nights that he had night watch, she found herself tossing and turning in her bunk. During the day she never saw him much because he was always with the men trying to help them do whatever needed to be done for the day. He would always make an appearance at dinner though and she had started bringing him his plate. He still ate on the steps in his usual place and she in hers, but he didn't seem quite so distant as before.
Today had been another long day and Beth had been trying to sort through everyone's laundry for her and Carol to tackle tomorrow. She hadn't been at the task for long when Michonne entered the prison swiftly. Beth glanced up at her and paused. It was unusual for Michonne to be in a hurry so Beth was naturally curious as to why the woman was now. She watched Michonne cross over to the cellblock and then she turned back around to face Beth.
"Have you seen Rick?" Michonne asked.
Beth nodded and pointed to the door that led to the tombs, "He and Daryl are back there somewhere working on the generators. I think one of them stopped working or something," She replied. Michonne nodded and began heading over to the door. "Has something happened?" Beth asked. For one heart stopping moment, she thought maybe someone might be hurt.
Michonne paused as if considering her answer before speaking, "We've caught one of the Governor's men. Merle's keeping an eye on him until I return," She said. She didn't wait for a response and disappeared through the door, leaving Beth alone in the kitchen once more.
Merle was out there alone with one of the Governor's men? By himself?
"Well, well, well, looks like we done caught ourselves an illegal alien. Ya traveled inta enemy territory amigo," He drawled into the hole next to where he was standing.
He had already checked the area and deemed it to be relatively empty for the moment. He didn't see any signs of any other men anywhere, but just the same Glenn was keeping a steady eye on the tree line with a pair of binoculars up in the guard tower. It had been Michonne who had heard the man down in the hole. The woman was always walking the perimeter of the fences and Merle had been nearby checking on some patches they had done to see how they were holding up to the walker weight. It had taken some convincing on his part to get the woman to leave and go get Rick and Daryl, but he had stood his ground until she had sighed and left to retrieve the men.
"Fuck off Merle. I done told you I ain't with that prick anymore. He's gone loco man. Totally batshit crazy since that bitch took out his eye," Martinez said.
Merle knelt down next to the hole and frowned at the man, "Hell, that ain't nothin' new. Damn bastard's always been fuckin' nuts," He muttered.
Martinez shook his head, "No. He's gotten worse since you took off with your brother. It's like something's flipped inside of his head," Martinez diverted his eyes towards the dirt walls that surrounded him. "He killed Shumpert," He muttered.
Merle sucked his teeth and narrowed his eyes, "Ya better not be bullshittin' me man. We ain't in tha playin' mood 'round here. I find out tha Governor sent ya here ta scope us out an' I'm shootin' ya ass," Merle threatened.
"Hell man! Shump was my friend! Hell, the three of us were his right hand men! Think about it. Do you honestly think I would come here by myself and get myself stuck in a damn hole? He doesn't even know I'm gone which means shit is liable to hit the fan pretty damn soon," Martinez said.
Merle studied the man. He had always had a feeling that Martinez wasn't cut out for the kind of things that the Governor did. He knew that Martinez had once had a wife and a kid, but he didn't know exactly what had happened to them. He knew the man never talked about them and Merle couldn't say that he blamed him. Martinez had put on a good act for the Governor, but Merle could see that the man inside of him wasn't as into the game as their leader. He just couldn't figure out what had made the Governor shoot Shumpert. That was the part that wasn't adding up. Shumpert was a beast and never hesitated to do whatever he was ordered to do.
So what had changed? Was the Governor's empire crumbling around him?
Beth watched as Merle and Daryl dragged a man inside of the prison with Rick following right behind them. She didn't know the man, but she knew immediately that he wasn't the Governor based on the stories she had heard about the horrible man. The group trickled in to the kitchen and Merle and Daryl led the man into the small holding cell that was near the stairs.
"Who is that?" Beth asked Michonne. The rest of the group members at the table all turned to the woman to hear her response.
"That's one of the Governor's men, Martinez," She replied.
Beth glanced over to the cell where Daryl was currently placing a lock on the door. He was Hispanic and appeared to be in his thirties as far as she could tell. She didn't want to judge him so quickly, but knowing that he was one of the Governor's men didn't sit well with her. He didn't fight Merle or Daryl, but she did notice that both Daryl and Merle were keeping a close eye on him.
"Ya wanna tell us why ya were snoopin' 'round outside our gate?" Daryl asked.
"I wasn't snooping! I'm here on my own. I was coming to warn you all that the Governor's gone off the deep end. I would have succeeded to if you all hadn't had this place booby trapped," Martinez said.
"Hey! We've got damn good reason to set up those traps," Rick said sharply.
"I never said you didn't. You damn well better put as many of those things out as you can get. You're gonna need it," Martinez warned.
"What tha hell ya keep blabberin' 'bout! What's tha crazy bastard up to now?" Daryl spat.
Martinez shrugged, "Honestly? I don't know. He's become more unpredicatable, more unstable. He shot a good friend of mine yesterday. Blew his face off for no good reason."
"Scared tha shit outta ya didn't it?" Merle asked.
He nodded solemnly, "You bet your ass it did. I'm not waiting around there for him to decide that I'm next. I'm not cut out for that kind of shit. I'm done," He said.
"Did you come here looking for shelter?" Rick asked.
Daryl whirled on Rick, "Yer not thinkin' 'bout lettin' this asshole stay are ya?"
Rick eyed Daryl, but didn't respond immediately. He turned to Martinez, "We need to have a group meeting and think about things. In the meantime, you can make yourself comfy in there. One of the ladies will provide you with something to eat and drink," Rick said.
Since Carol was holding Judith and Maggie was otherwise occupied by a conversation with Glenn, she stood up to find the man something to drink and nibble on. She felt Merle's eyes following her as she rummaged through their rations. He stopped by her arm before following the others out.
"If he so much as looks at'cha wrong, don't hesitate ta shoot 'im," Merle's voice growled near her ear.
She nodded, "He's inside of a cage. I think I can handle it." She grabbed a granola bar and turned to find that they were the only ones left in the room aside from Martinez. The others had already filed outside to hold their meeting. She reached into another box for a bottle of water and when she turned around again she bumped square into Merle's solid chest.
"I got watch tonight," He said gruffly.
She frowned in disappointment. She had been looking forward to having him sleep in her cell again. She sighed, "Okay. You better get out there."
He glanced over his shoulder at Martinez who was staring at them curiously and then back to her, "Wanna meet me there later?" He lowered his voice, his eyes staring at her intently.
She smiled softly, "Okay."
She heard Martinez sigh behind them and assuming the conversation over, she moved to go around Merle to give Martinez the food and water. Merle surprised her by grabbing her arm and holding her in place. Then he pulled her flush against him and winked at her before lowering his lips to hers. She felt a flush travel all through her body at the touch of his lips again. She had missed the feel of them on hers. He kissed her a little more roughly than he ever had, but it still left her shaken. Something about the kiss seemed possessive almost, like he was staking a claim on her and she wondered if it had anything to do with Martinez. His hand grazed the side of her breast as he pulled away and thankfully her body was shielded from Martinez's view.
Martinez was smirking as Merle walked out the door and his eyes cut over to hers, "So you and Dixon are a thing, huh?" He asked.
She blushed and passed him the food through the bars of the cell. He accepted it with a nod, tearing into the granola bar hungrily. She shrugged in response to his question, "I'm not really sure," She said.
He snorted, "Senorita, you just got owned. That was the kiss of a man claiming his territory," He said between bites.
"You think so?" She asked.
He nodded, "Trust me. I knew Dixon back at Woodbury and he's been with a few women, but I've never seen him like that."
Beth wondered about how many women was a few. She knew she had no reason to be jealous of what Merle had done in the past, but she couldn't help it. She didn't like to think of Merle with other women. The thought was driving her crazy.
"You must be something special to catch that one chica," Martinez said.
Let me know what you think! (OR just let me know how excited you are for Season 4) LOL