Hey y'all! Apologies again for the wait. Life has a way of distracting you and I never thought I would get this out and posted! Grr...LOL. I feel like this chapter is kind of off and that irritates me, but I don't know how to fix it unless I scratch it and start over. At this rate I feel if I start the chapter over it might be that much longer before it gets posted so I decided to post this one anyway. Y'all let me know what you think...Please.

The run had actually ended up taking longer than Beth had thought it might. They had had to stop at several different locations to find chains, rope, and at one location Merle spotted lumber that they could use so they had to find a truck to haul it. Beth followed behind Merle in the car now as he stopped in front of a pharmacy that they hoped would have the rest of the supplies they needed. She waited until Merle exited his vehicle before she got out and together they took out the few walkers that littered the street. Beth was surprised at how much more confident she was now about killing them. She knew Merle approved as well because she had caught him watching her several times with a smirk on his face.

Merle was the first to enter the pharmacy while Beth covered him from behind. The pharmacy was unoccupied and they made quick work of looking the place over. Beth stuffed the several boxes of feminine products that she saw into her bag while Merle perused a shelf of medicine. There weren't too many things left aside from a couple of boxes of gauze here and there. Beth grabbed anything that she saw and shoved it into her bag. At the end of the aisle her eyes fell upon several boxes of pregnancy tests and she picked up one of the boxes in her hands, staring at it. She was frozen as she stared at the letters on the box and her hand shook slightly. She glanced over at Merle finally and saw that he was almost done so she stuffed two of the tests into her bag and zipped it before heading over to his side.

"Ya get what we needed or we need ta make anotha stop?" He asked.

She shook her head, "I got everything. We should be good now," She replied.

Merle nodded and they exited the store with him taking out a lone walker lingering too close to their vehicles as they tossed their packs inside. Merle walked over by her car and stood there for a moment as his eyes coasted over the area around them.

"Follow me an' I'll see if I can't find us a place," He said.

"Alright," She replied.

Merle finally pulled the truck to a stop in front of a small motel on the side of the road. There weren't any walkers around that Merle could see and he was just ready to get settled somewhere so that Beth could take the damn test to let them know whether or not she was pregnant. So far he had managed to keep the thought pushed far from his mind while they had been searching for supplies, but now that they were done the thought came raging back to him. He was impatient to know an answer and he didn't much like waiting.

She followed behind him in the car as he drove the truck to the side of the motel where anyone passing by wouldn't see it unless they looked for it. The last thing he needed was for them to encounter a group passing through that tried to steal their stuff or something worse. He wasn't taking any chances with Beth being with him. They exited their vehicles, grabbing up what little supplies they would need through the night. Merle stopped to stick his blade through the skull of a walker that made its way out of the woods and then together they walked over to the rooms. Merle chose the room down on the end and gestured for Beth to keep an eye out while he thrust the door open. Light poured into the room from the outside and he was able to see that the room was surprisingly empty. He opened the curtains, letting in more light and made his way to the small bathroom, making sure that it too was indeed walker free.

Beth entered into the room once she saw that he had cleared it and she began sifting through her backpack as Merle worked to secure the door for the night. He glanced over his shoulder at her and saw her pull out a box which he guessed to be the pregnancy test. So far, things had been pretty quiet between them, neither of them keeping up much chatter like usual.

She glanced up and their eyes met, hers tired and scared. "What if I'm pregnant?" She asked a little shakily.

Merle didn't know how to reply. Part of him knew that he would never make a kid a good father after the kind of life he had had, but there was another part of him, a much smaller part, that wondered what his life could be like if he had a kid. The thought of taking care of something so tiny in this world literally scared the shit out of him. He paused from what he was doing and turned to her with a sigh. She was looking at him like she expected whatever he said to be profound and to make her feel better, but Merle didn't think he could reassure her like that.

"I reckon' we'll cross that bridge when we come ta it," He offered gruffly and hoped that it was enough.

She stared at him for several seconds and then she nodded. She crossed over to him and pressed her lips to his in a swift kiss before pulling away. "I'll be back in a few minutes," She said.

Merle nodded, eager for her to leave the room for once. He needed a few minutes to compose himself and prepare for the very real possibility of a little Dixon running around sometime in the future.

Beth drummed her fingers against the small sink as she looked down at the stick she had just peed on. The light from the lantern she had brought inside the bathroom gave off just enough light to read the stick. She wasn't sure which answer she was looking for while she waited. On one hand, she kind of liked the possibility of being someone's mother, but on the other the thought completely terrified her. She gripped the sink and closed her eyes, willing her body to relax. She tried to mentally keep a tally of the passing seconds as she waited, but she had lost count. Blowing out a deep breath, she stared at herself in the cracked mirror above the sink. Her hair was a mess of tangles around her head and she pulled out a stray leaf that had somehow become lodged amidst the tangles. Her eyes shone with worry and her skin had gotten pale from being inside the prison so much lately.

Biting her lip, she peered down at the test in the dim light. Glancing back at the instructions again, she read them quickly and then looked back at the test. She stared at it for several minutes before setting it back down on the counter. With a sigh, she grabbed the lantern and opened the bathroom door to find Merle leaning against the doorframe.

Startled, she jumped back slightly at his presence, "You scared me!" She gasped.

"What's it say?" Merle demanded.

Beth swallowed, "I'm not pregnant," She replied.

She watched as Merle's body sagged with relief. His expression relaxed somewhat and he rubbed his eyes with his hand, "That was a close call," He remarked.

Beth nodded, unsure of how exactly she should feel at the moment. Merle reached his hand up to cup her chin with his fingers, "Hey," He said softly. Beth looked up into his eyes. "Don't take it tha wrong way, okay? I jus' ain't wantin' ya ta go through somethin' like that," He explained.

Beth looked into his eyes searchingly. She saw no trace of his usual sarcasm or wit; there was only nervousness and relief. He dropped his hand after a few minutes and turned back to the bed to dig through their packs. He grabbed two granola bars and tossed one to her before unwrapping and eating his in just two bites. She sat on the edge of the bed and ate hers at a slower pace, her mind still trying to come to terms with the events of the day. She watched Merle take off his prosthetic and place it on the rickety dresser in front of the bed. He moved around the room doing various things and she stopped paying attention to him as she finished eating and took a sip of water from one of the bottles in the pack.

She jumped when she felt Merle's hand touch the back of her neck and when he began massaging the skin there with his skilled fingers she sighed and tilted her head forward to give him better access. His hand found her shoulder and he kneaded it with his fingers before moving to the other one. She moaned softly at the wonderful pressure of it.

"Ya keep makin' them noises an' this massage ain't gonna last much longer girl," He growled softly near her ear.

Beth shivered and turned so that she was facing him. Silently she stood and her hands drifted to her jeans where she unbuttoned and unzipped them before pushing them down her legs to the floor. Merle's eyes darkened as he watched her. She grasped the hem of her shirt next and slowly lifted it over her head before dropping it on the floor with her jeans. She felt his eyes scanning the length of her body and she bit her lips before reaching behind her to undo the clasp on her bra and free her breasts to his gaze.

"What'cha doin' there?" Merle grunted.

Beth's eyes flitted up to his, "You're a smart man. I'm sure you can figure it out," She said softly as she stood before him in just her panties.

Without a word or a single touch he began to take off his clothes until he was completely naked. His eyes lingered on her panties, "Ya forgot somethin'," He said.

Beth hooked her fingers into the band of her panties and slid them down her legs until they were both completely naked. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers grazing the little bit of hair that curled at his nape. There was a fine hum of electricity between them and Beth knew that as soon as their lips touched it would all be over.

"Make me forget Merle," She whispered.

Merle grunted, his chest heaving out a little before he slowly lowered his lips to hers. He paused right before he made contact, "Ya sure 'bout this?" His breath grazed her lips with warmth.

She nodded and his lips surged forward to touch hers, like a match to paper that was all it took to ignite the fire between them. Merle curled his arm around her, his muscles hard against her back as his hand tangled into her hair. He popped the rubber band she used to pull it back from her face and her hair fell in a soft curtain against her back and shoulders. She wanted to protest, but his lips never let up from hers. She melted against him, reveling in his hardness and warmth. He walked her backwards until the backs of her knees hit the bed forcing her to sit down. She lay back and looked up at him with all of the love that she felt and his eyes locked with hers momentarily before he kneeled before her. He spread her legs and leaned down to inhale her scent.

"Spread yerself open for me darlin'," He said softly.

She complied and using her fingers she offered herself to him. He made a noise low in his throat before he bent his head and licked her slit, long and slow. She arched upwards a little and almost lost her grip as the sensation worked through her. He kept going with it, licking at her juices and flicking her clit with his tongue. She felt that familiar heat start at her toes and work itself up to her face in a hot flush. He closed his mouth over her and when she looked at him he winked at her before inserting a finger inside of her. She let herself be worked over by him, drowning herself into the moment completely. Just as she felt the tremors of her orgasm begin he let up and she watched in impatient frustration as he slid on a condom. Coming back to the bed he kneeled once more and slid her body off of the bed and straight onto his waiting cock. She moaned at the fullness as she slid all of the way down his length. The position they were in was the most intimate they had ever shared and they were face to face as he filled her. She tried to close her eyes, but he spoke up.

"No. Keep yer eyes open. I wanna see ya," He demanded.

She swallowed and her eyes fluttered open once more, locking onto his. He pinned her with his gaze, his hips thrusting upwards into her. She began to throb and she struggled to keep her eyes open as she crested over the brink. Merle wrapped his arm around her, holding her flush against him as she jerked and pulsed around him, her eyes still locked with his.

"Yer mine," He growled softly.

"Yours," She panted in reply.

She held onto his shoulders as she began to come down from her high, but surprisingly he didn't join her. Instead he kept slowly thrusting inside of her and she felt herself beginning to grow wet once again. Dipping his head forward he closed his mouth over her nipple and ran his tongue back and forth over its peak. Holding her tight to him, he climbed to his feet and still connected, he moved them onto the bed. Leaning her legs to the side, he slid in and out of her so slowly that it was almost torturous. She whimpered beneath him at the new friction this caused, but he was relentless in his punishing rhythm. Her eyes drank him in greedily. His muscles were flexed, his face intense and focused, but it was his eyes that made her quiver. The pure lust and intensity with which he watched her made her shiver inside. Suddenly he paused and then began a much faster rhythm. She panted beneath him and watched as his jaw clenched, his eyes closing halfway as he poured all of his tension out of his body. She spiraled beneath him, caught in another orgasm that took her by surprise and she pulsed repeatedly around him until she had nothing left to give. He thrust into her once more before pulling out and falling to the bed beside her. She rolled over and pressed herself against him, trying to calm her erractically beating heart.

She could feel Merle breathing deeply next to her and she ran her fingers over the light splattering of chest hair that covered him. "You okay?" She asked softly.

He snorted, "Fuck if I know. Ya damn near gonna kill me one o' these days," He huffed.

She giggled and boosted herself up a little so that she could kiss him. They kissed lazily for several minutes and when they finally parted she was shocked to feel his erection pressing against her. Wanting to please him, she crawled down his body and kneeled, taking the position he had assumed with her earlier. She removed the used condom and used her tongue to catch some of the cum that still coated him. He shifted beneath her and she opened her mouth, taking him as deep as she could in her throat. Trying to take cues from his reactions, she moved her mouth up and down on him, sucking slightly as she went. He groaned and spit muffled curses as she swirled her tongue experimentally over the tip of him. He lifted his hips, pushing himself into her mouth a little and she took him in as far as she could.

"Fuck me, I'm gonna cum," He spit out a few minutes later.

Beth hummed in acknowledgement and he tensed before spilling himself inside of her mouth. She gagged a little as she tried to swallow it all, but some of it managed to spill out of her mouth and down his cock. She swallowed what she had and then went back to lick up the rest before crawling back up to lie next to him again. Her eyes grew heavy as she laid within his warmth and she yawned as she struggled to keep them open.

"Merle?" She murmured sleepily.

"Yeah?" His voice was gruff and laced with sleep himself.

She snuggled into him, "You're mine too, you know."

So is it crap? I'm ducking my head while waiting for the reviews...For those of you waiting on more Deth, the next chapter has been started and it's a work in progress. I've just got to get my dang head on straight. :-)