AN: Happy Saturday night everyone! It's been a fun fanfic day here for me!
I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter. I think at this point we are definitely starting to see how life and its experiences are starting to change our characters and they're all starting, at least slowly, to grow in one way or another.
Here's another little chapter for you. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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Daryl couldn't believe that he was actually going in search of his asshole brother, but he was. He was on the way back from the Greene farm with his shit in the back of his truck and he'd been thinking about something Carol had been saying about Andrea and her feelings for Merle…and also about the fact that his brother was hanging around down at the Water Ho just to harass the hell out of Andrea for dating Axel.
Axel, as far as Daryl could tell, was actually an OK kind of guy. He got along with everyone and Daryl really didn't have anything bad to say about the guy. He seemed to be really fond of Andrea, but from Carol had told him they were friends, more than anything else, and Axel was just holding onto the hope that somewhere down the line Andrea would want more than that from him.
The part that Daryl couldn't understand was that Andrea was still hooked on Merle, apparently. Daryl knew that Merle was hooked on Andrea, whether he'd admit it or not, but Merle was the asshole of the year in that situation, so Daryl had sort of thought that Andrea would just coast right on down the road and hook up with someone else…like this Axel character…but really she was still fond of his dumbass brother.
And all of that was fine and dandy, really. Daryl couldn't really give too much of a fuck what any of them did as far as screwing up their own love lives…goodness knows his was an ongoing project…but he didn't like the idea of Merle harassing Andrea down at the Water Hole or any damn where else. And Carol didn't like it either. He'd had to agree with her, after talking to her about it, that it was one of those situations where Merle was either going to have to do something about his shit or he was just going to have to back the fuck off and leave Andrea alone.
So for whatever reason, Daryl thought it might be a good damn idea to find his older brother and have this little heart to heart with him. He'd told Carol that he was going to get his shit from the little apartment at Hershel's farm and then he was going to swing by the Water Ho and see if he couldn't find Merle.
And sure enough, as he came into the smoky ass little bar where not one damn thing ever changed, he found Merle sitting at the bar.
Andrea wasn't working tonight. Tonight Loretta was working on her own it seemed, and she was keeping busy hustling around from one bunch of drunk assholes to the next.
Daryl spoke to Loretta as he passed by her and she greeted him, telling him to help himself and she'd be with him shorty. He went directly to the bar and heaved himself up on the stool next to Merle.
Merle looked at him out of the corner of his eye for a minute like he was considering not speaking to him. He chewed on the toothpick hanging in his mouth and then leaned over and helped himself to a shot glass behind the bar, plunking it down in front of Daryl and pouring him a shot.
"Ain't drinkin'," Daryl said. He remembered that he had the truck and he had all his shit in the back and he didn't need to get hauled in for DUI.
"Bullshit," Merle growled.
"I'm serious, Merle, I'm drivin'," Daryl protested, pushing the shot glass in Merle's direction.
"So leave ya shit here an' ya can crash at my place," Merle said. "Fuck lil' brothah…ya hide ya fuckin' face away from me half the damn time, act like ya fuckin' ashamed a' me or somethin' an' now ya too damn good ta have a drink with me? What the hell's that damn Mouse done to ya?"
Daryl took the shot after all and figured one of the people that lived in his house…or almost lived there…would at least come and get him if nothing else.
"Don't call Carol a mouse," Daryl said. "An' she ain't done shit ta me. I been stayin' away from your sorry ass by my own damn choice an' it's shit like that right there that made me stay the fuck away."
"Well…" Merle said. "Ain't'cha just feelin' big for ya britches tonight, Derlina? I seen ya gave ya woman ya balls…reckon ya borrowed 'em for the night just ta come over here an' jack ya fuckin' jaws at me a while."
Daryl shook his head.
"Know what, Merle? I'm the only damn one between us that's got a set of balls…and I can guaran-damn-tee you that Carol ain't got none at all…but she's still got a bigger damn set than you got," Daryl said.
Merle turned and eyed him and Daryl could tell from the look on his face that the only reason they weren't about to tangle up and fight at the moment was because he'd happened to catch Merle at that point when he was drinking where he'd had just enough to feel friendly and enough not to want to punch out anyone that so much as looked at him.
"Ya best watch ya mouth," Merle said. "I seen ya lil' woman up in here…ain't so damn little no more. She fattened her ass right up when she figured she had ya all tied up."
Daryl knew that Merle was trying to get at him, and it was working. He flexed his fingers, trying to ignore the fact that he wanted to try and break his brother's jaw again if he'd broke it before.
"She ain't fuckin' fat!" Daryl responded. "She's pregnant…and that's my fuckin' kid."
Merle chuckled.
"So damn sure a' that?" He asked, looking at Daryl sideways.
"Damn sure am an' I'm warnin' ya not ta start that damn shit. I done had ta know that some fuckin' lawyer's been talkin' shit about her an' I ain't gon' sit here an' listen ta your ass do it," Daryl said. "She ain't fat an it's my kid. End a' damn story."
"Mmmm…" Merle hummed his amusement. "Ya sure that ain't just a beer belly she's got goin' on? I heard about'cha DUI lil' brothah…news travels in Sweet Junction."
"I weren't drunk. And she's pregnant alright. Done seen the kid myself all dancin' 'round on a television screen." Daryl fixed himself another shot and took it, chuckling to himself. "Got me a little girl," he said. "An' she was hoppin' all around an' kept lookin' like she was movin' her hand to her face. Carol said she reckon she got it from me ta wanta chew on her fingers."
Daryl couldn't help but smile to himself about it. The doctor had told them that the baby could suck her thumb and touch her head and from there Carol had suggested that she would probably keep her hands there with as much as Daryl absentmindedly bit at his own fingers. It was strange to him to imagine that he had a kid…and that she took after him in some damn way…but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.
Daryl realized that Merle was looking at him, half turned toward him on his bar stool.
"Ya really gone right on ever the edge there, ain't'cha Derlina?" Merle asked.
Daryl looked at Merle, his smiled dropping.
"Don't start," Daryl said. "Not if ya don't want me gettin' off this fuckin' stool right now and stayin' my ass as far away from ya as the damn town a' Sweet Junction'll let me get."
"So you would turn ya back on ya own brothah after all, huh?" Merle asked.
Daryl took another shot and glanced around him at all the familiar assholes keeping the place in business. Finally when his vision settled back on his brother he nodded his head slightly.
"If that's what I gotta do, Merle, then that's what the hell I gotta do. I got me a kid, now," Daryl said. "Ain't gon' be no damn asshole ole man like ours was…an' I ain't draggin' ya ass 'round my daughter if ya don't fuckin' know how ta act," Daryl said.
Merle took the toothpick out of his mouth and deposited it on the bar, taking another shot and shifting his jaw like he was trying to pop it.
"What'cha tryin' ta say then, Daryl?" Merle asked.
Daryl shrugged. The truth was he hadn't planned not one damn bit of what he wanted to say tonight. He wasn't sure if any of it was coming out the way he wanted or if it would come out the way he wanted, but he figured it had to be said, one way or the other.
"I reckon what I'm sayin' is ya gotta quit bein' such a fuckin' asshole, Merle. If ya give one hot damn about me or ya so much as wanta know my daughter…ya gonna have ta look into learnin' how ta act like ya got the damn sense that God gave mud," Daryl said.
"Listen at'cha, Daryl," Merle said. "Ya ain't got no daughter…Ya ain't got no kid. All ya got is a fat girlfriend…an' ya damn near threatenin' my ass over that?"
"Shut up, Merle. I do got a kid!" Daryl responded. "Ya just so damn busy bein' a dumbass ya don't know nothin' 'bout it. I got a picture of it to prove it. Just ain't done cookin' yet…so sayin' that it ain't here makes 'bout as much fuckin' sense as havin' a damn rabbit in the oven an' sayin' ya ain't got shit 'cause it ain't done yet."
Daryl was surprised, then, when Merle chuckled.
"Fine…Daryl…if it makes ya happy then good damn luck with ya kid," Merle said. "Ya ain't gon' want it when ya get it, though. Damn annoyin' lil' fuckers."
As a general rule, Daryl didn't care for kids. He'd never been around them too much, but they were typically noisy and leaky and annoying. It was different, though, when he thought about Carol and him…when he thought about his own baby and the family they talked about having. He didn't feel like his daughter would be so leaky…or so damn annoying. She was going to be his kid, after all, and that was something that none of the other kids he'd ever been around had been.
"I mean it," Daryl said. "Ya ain't comin' 'round if ya can't act like ya got some damn sense."
Merle chuckled again.
"Don't know what the fuck's happened ta ya, Derlina, but I don't hardly recognize ya," Merle said.
Daryl took the shot that Merle offered him, noticing that Merle was calming down a little beside him and he thought that maybe his brother was going to drop being such a dick for a bit.
They sat there for a while, in silence, sipping on whiskey and sharing Daryl's cigarettes. After a while…Daryl wasn't really sure how long…Merle turned to him.
"Bullshit aside…" Merle said. "I'm proud of ya, Daryl."
Daryl damn near choked on the whiskey he was sipping from the shot glass and Merle reached over, pounding him on the back hard enough to knock his tonsils out.
Merle chuckled a little when Daryl got control of himself.
"Fuck's in this whiskey?" Daryl asked.
Merle chuckled again and shook his head.
"I am…" Merle said. "Fuck…I don't know if ya gon' fuck up at this shit or not but if ya gon' be a Daddy then I'm proud that'cha man enough ta be all gung ho about the shit. Be the first damn Dixon that ever was a decent father."
Daryl nodded his head. It was the only thanks that he could give, really. If he'd tried to genuinely thank Merle for what he was taking as possibly the largest compliment his brother had ever paid him, then Merle would have ended the whole damn conversation right there and told him not to be a pussy and try to be all damn feely and sentimental about shit.
"Ya gon' be the first damn Dixon that ever was a decent uncle?" Daryl asked after a few minutes.
Merle set his jaw again and lit another cigarette. He looked at Daryl out of the corner of his eye.
"Ain't makin' no damn promises," Merle said. "But I reckon I can see what the fuck I can do."
Daryl smiled. He couldn't really believe it, but that was about the best he could get from Merle. That was at least some kind of confirmation that his brother his was going to try to do better in some damn way, and from Merle that was damn near monumental.
Daryl decided as long as he had Merle in a somewhat decent frame of mind, he might as well go ahead and launch into why the hell he was there.
"Merle…what the hell ya doin' with Andrea?" Daryl asked.
Merle looked at him.
"Ain't doin' shit with her…or did ya get so fuckin' wrapped up that'cha ain't noticed?" Merle asked.
"Heard ya been harassin' her," Daryl said. "Hangin' 'round here throwin' shit at her…cat callin' her ass…givin' her a hard damn time 'bout Axel."
Merle sucked his teeth.
"That the skinny lil' fucker she's been bumpin' uglies with?" Merle asked.
"Ya know who the fuck it is, Merle," Daryl said. "As ya said…ain't no damn secrets in Sweet Junction."
"So…" Merle said. "What the fuck ya care? Ya chasin' her skirt too?"
Now it was Daryl's turn to suck his teeth.
"Merle…I come here ta be straight up with ya 'bout Andrea an' I ain't gon' say this damn shit more than once. I ain't gon' tell ya that shit with me an' Carol is a fuckin' picnic every damn day that the sun comes up, 'cause it sure as shit ain't, but it's a hell of a lot better than any damn thing I ever had before in my life," Daryl said. "My whole damn life ya been tellin' me that gettin' tied down to a woman was 'bout the worse damn thing that could ever fuckin' happen…and I'm here ta tell ya that'cha fuckin' wrong. It's 'bout the best damn thing."
"That's real damn sweet, baby brothah," Merle said with a chuckle. "I'm damn glad ya came out here ta share that shit with me."
"Ya know ya care about Andrea," Daryl said, ignoring Merle. "Fuck…everybody knows ya care about Andrea. An' for whatever damn reason, she cares about your crusty ole stinkin' ass."
Merle poured Daryl another shot of the whiskey and Daryl lit one of his own cigarettes, figuring he might as well enjoy one or two before Merle finished off the pack. There was more in his truck, but at the moment he didn't feel like making the journey.
"Ya damn near a poet, Daryl," Merle said. "Ya gotta fuckin' point or ya just recitin' bullshit for us tonight?"
"My point is," Daryl said, blowing out the smoke from the drag that he took off the cigarette, "that you need ta man the fuck up. Either get in there an' bite the damn bullet an' tell Andrea ya fuckin' care about her or have the balls ta back the fuck up…really leave her ass alone…an' let her get on with her fuckin' life with someone who does want what the hell ya too chicken shit ta try."
"Big damn talk ya got there, lil' brothah," Merle said.
Daryl noticed his tone of voice wasn't harsh, though, and Daryl wondered if he might have hit a bit of tender spot under Merle's crusty exterior.
"I ain't sayin' ya gotta write her fuckin' poems an' shit," Daryl said. "But if ya give a rat's ass…an' I know ya do…ya need ta tell her."
Daryl sighed and took another drink.
"Hell, ya might fuckin' like it if ya was nice ta her…she ain't so damn bad if ya don't treat her like shit," Daryl said. "An' she deserves not ta be treated like shit…so if ya ain't gon' be the man ta do it…then get outta her fuckin' face an' let her move the fuck on."
"I ain't no damn pussy," Merle said.
Daryl shook his head.
"Ain't 'bout bein' a pussy, Merle…it's 'bout bein' a fuckin' man," Daryl said. "I reckon I've learned a fuckin' thing or two, whether ya believe me or not, an' sometimes part a' bein' a man is learnin' how ta be a nice guy…'specially when it comes to a sweet woman that'cha wanta be close to."
"Ain't how a fuckin' Dixon acts," Merle said.
Daryl chuckled.
"Yeah…an' ain't not a whole damn lotta Dixons had them no decent ass women neither," Daryl said.
Daryl yawned and slid off the stool, starting around the bar.
"Loretta!" He called, getting the attention of the slightly heavyset older woman. She looked in his direction and he waved at her to let her know it was him that had called her. "Usin' ya phone ta call a ride."
"Go ahead sugar!" Loretta called back across the bar.
Daryl picked up the phone and dialed the house number. From the sounds of it, she wasn't alone. He figured Andrea and Axel were there. He told her that he was down at the bar and needed her to come pick him up and it would be a bonus if somebody would come to drive his truck back. He considered, for a moment, suggesting that Andrea come…but then he glanced over at Merle and decided that he probably hadn't decided entirely what he wanted to do.
When Daryl got off the phone he walked over to the bar and took a cigarette out of the pack, tossing the rest of the pack in Merle's direction.
"Here," he said. "Have a smoke on me an' think on it."
"Where the fuck ya goin' so early?" Merle asked.
Daryl was going out in the parking lot to wait on his ride and smoke a cigarette, that's where he was going. He dug a few bills out of his pocket, enough to cover whatever he'd drank of the whiskey, and he tossed it on the bar, keeping a couple in his hand to pass to Loretta on his way out.
"Got me a woman, Merle," Daryl said. "An' I got me a kid…I'd damn sure rather be at home with that than here in this dirty ass ole bar."
Daryl tipped his head at his brother, put the cigarette in his mouth, and made his way through the bar. As he passed her, he patted Loretta on the shoulder and passed her the bills, nodding at her and exchanging niceties before continuing on and letting himself out the heavy wooden door and into the parking lot.
Outside, in the cold air, Daryl lit his cigarette and leaned against the brick wall of the establishment, the light of the flashing sign…it's bulbs never having been replaced since he moved there…reflecting off of him. He watched the road, waiting for any sign of someone's car or truck coming to pick him up.
He didn't know if Merle was going to make any effort at all to change his ways, and maybe expecting him too was too much. Daryl didn't want to get his hopes up too high. Still, he had at least said his peace, and he hoped that maybe, just maybe, his brother could see that he'd fallen into the terrible trap that Merle thought a relationship was, and he felt like he'd come out better for it.
Daryl finished the cigarette just as Carol pulled up in her truck. Andrea and Axel spilled out and Daryl threw his keys to Axel and got in Carol's truck as he watched the other two get in his to follow them.
"Thank ya for comin' ta pick me up," Daryl said as he buckled his seatbelt.
"I told you I wasn't letting you stay away from me anymore," Carol said, smiling at him.
Daryl chuckled and reached a hand over, resting it on her thigh as she drove him back home with the others following close behind him in his truck.