AN: It's late here, so please forgive the probable multitude of problems. I wanted to get you out something, though, so we can keep on going with our story!
I didn't get a chance with everything going on to respond to each and every one of you from the last chapter, but as always, I appreciate your reviews and comments. I'm glad that everyone likes how sweet our Daryl is now that he's happily settling into married life and potential future fatherhood. I think it looks good on Daryl!
Also, I know we all hate Ed…we'll just have to see what happens there…
I hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think!
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Carol was with Michonne doing some kind of girly shit that Daryl hadn't had much interest in. It involved Michonne's wedding and the baby, and frankly only one of those interested Daryl at all and still there was much about the baby that he was more than willing to leave in the hands of the women around him.
So he was down at the Water Ho, sitting with his wayward ass big brother, while Andrea worked the place with Loretta and ignored them both for the most part, only passing ever now and again to lean on the bar, make sure they didn't need anything, and swap some small piece of idle chitchat.
The regular crowd for a Wednesday night was in there…and it was pretty much the regular crowd for most any night. The same fuckers day after day. Daryl didn't mind coming in there every now and again, especially when Carol was busy with something else or she and Andrea were at their hair classes, but he wondered how fucking sad their lives must be when the fuckers that were in there night after night saw the hole in the wall place as damn near their home.
Then of course there was Merle…and he was damn near one of those fuckers…but Daryl had a pretty good idea how sad Merle's life was, and it was evident that it was wearing on his brother. Daryl getting married had obviously flipped some kind of switch in Merle. He was more mellow than he'd ever been before, but there was something sad there.
Maybe it's because he was the only fucking Dixon alive that they still knew about who hadn't moved on from the outdated idea that Dixons didn't a single damn person.
Maybe it was the realization that Daryl was married now…he had a family of his own…and though that didn't count Merle out completely, it did somewhat change the structure of their relationship. Maybe Merle was realizing that they'd had their final hoorah already, and Daryl wasn't coming back to the lifestyle of shoveling their shit around in taped together cardboard boxes, following Merle's ass from one sorry location to another while they tried to outrun a life that was trying to run them over.
Or maybe it was just that Merle fucking missed Andrea and that was as obvious as the nose on his face.
It really could have been any of those things, or all of them all at once. Daryl wasn't really sure the cause, but it was evident that his brother was different. The Merle that sat beside him, occasionally chatting, but mostly sitting quietly and staring at the dusty shelf of liquor directly in front of them on the wall, was not the Merle who might have sat there a year ago and entertained half the damn bar with his stories about pussy chasing and punching people in the fucking mouth.
Though the change was drastic, and though Daryl wished his brother wasn't so damn down about whatever it was, he had to admit that mellow Merle was a Merle that he enjoyed being around a hell of a lot more than the one that was always being an asshole. Daryl only wished that he could guarantee that if they figured out how to fix whatever the fuck was Merle's problem, they could also count on the fact that he would never fully return to the shithead he'd once been. There weren't any guarantees in life, though.
Daryl had his own problems, though, and he was somewhat sharing them with Merle while they both shared a dusty bottle of bitter tasting whiskey.
"I don't get how the fucker's loose, though," Merle said. "Son of a bitch would have killed Carol and Andrea both. How the fuck they justify his ass runnin' fuckin' free?"
Merle was only just now really sinking into the realization that Ed was out. If Michonne was right, he'd been released this morning, actually, and that meant that the fucker could pop up any damn time he pleased.
"Ya know," Daryl said, "if ya had ya head out'cha ass more often ya'd already know what the fuck's been goin' on with Ed…and with every damn one a' us."
Merle looked at him out of the corner of his eye but didn't say anything.
Daryl sighed and gnawed at his thumb. The only reason he was here tonight instead of at home was because Carol was with Michonne and had insisted that she was fine and that he should go and do something more interesting than keep them company while they basked in all their glow over all they had planned to do and talk about. Michonne had promised him that she wouldn't let Carol out of her sight, except for to go to the bathroom…which she did with extreme frequency, and so he'd left them alone. Otherwise, though, he wouldn't have dared to leave her in the house unguarded.
Carol was still strangely calm about the whole thing, though. Daryl hadn't pushed her to talk about it and she hadn't seemed to want to talk about it. She hadn't seemed too much affected by it in the least, really. He would have been concerned if he felt like she was hiding something, but it really seemed to him that she simply wasn't letting it bother her…or either it wasn't real to her yet.
Daryl hoped it never became real to her. He hoped there was never any reason for it to be real. He kept his fingers crossed that somehow Ed would move on and they'd never see him or hear from him again, but he couldn't really convince his brain that's how the hell this whole damn thing would go down.
"I don't know what the fuck ta do about it, Merle…" Daryl said.
He might have hesitated at one time to talk to his brother and admit that he was scared shitless…but even if Merle called him a pussy about it, right now it wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest. If being scared that Ed was going to do something…that he was going to hurt Carol or hurt the baby…was being a pussy, then Daryl could admit he was the biggest damn pussy in the world.
"Hell lil' brothah, ain't shit'cha can do," Merle said. "Ya ain't the damn president of the U.S. of A. Fuckers let Ed's ass go, so now he's gone…all there is to it."
"Ya think that's all there is to it, huh?" Daryl echoed. "Merle that fucker ain't gone. He's far from fuckin' gone. And this is my damn wife an' kid I'm talkin' 'bout. If he done somethin' ta Carol…" Daryl hesitated. "I'd lose my fuckin' mind."
Merle bit at his bottom lip, his eyes set momentarily on the shelf in front of them, but Daryl knew he really wasn't looking at that shit. After a moment, Merle looked at the bottle of whiskey and slid it in Daryl's direction.
"Fuck, Daryl," Merle said. "Have a drink an' loosen up the damn knot'cha got in ya chain. We don't even know where the hell that fat fucker is."
Daryl poured himself a shot and downed it quickly. He refilled the glass, but left it there on the bar. At least Andrea was driving them home so he didn't have to worry about it.
Daryl sighed.
He knew that worrying about Ed wasn't going to make a damn bit of difference. Merle was right. They didn't know where the fucker was at the moment. He could be just outside, leaning in the shadows some damn where and waiting to get his hands on Andrea again…waiting to finish what he started there. Or he could be waiting to kick Merle and Daryl's asses outside of Merle's apartment. Hell, he could be outside Michonne's house peeking through the damn windows and planning some shit.
The not knowing was going to drive Daryl bat shit crazy just as quick as if something happened.
Daryl took another shot and refilled his glass. For the first time in a long time he hoped that the amber colored liquid could do something magical to numb all the damn feelings he had. They weren't feelings that he wanted to share with Carol. If she wasn't freaked out, then he sure as hell didn't want to be the one to tell her that she should be flipping a shit because Ed was out and he might just try to fuck every damn thing up. And even if she was freaked out, Daryl didn't want her to know that he was. Hell, he was supposed to be protecting her. He was the one trying to tell her that one damn way or another they'd work this shit out. Michonne told him that stress was bad for Carol right now…was bad for the baby…and Daryl didn't want to be responsible for bringing it on her.
Daryl shrugged a little.
"He could come after our asses too, ya know. Could be pissed at'cha for fuckin' him up an' goin' after him…" Daryl said, trying to see if Merle was really even listening to him.
Merle chuckled.
"I wish the fucker would come after me," Merle said. "Hell, I'd let him get a swing in. First one's on me for the fat fuck…then I got me an excuse to grind his sorry ass inta the dirt. Fuck him up real nice 'cause I was defendin' myself…see? I was real damn scared a' his pathetic ass…had ta fuckin' kill him 'til I weren't scared no more."
Daryl chuckled. Yep, Merle was listening to him. And for all that might have mellowed about Merle in the past little bit…there was still much of Merle that burned just as hot underneath the surface.
"Could go after Andrea, too," Daryl said. "She tried ta fuck with him…he ain't likely ta forget that shit neither."
Merle sucked his teeth and took another shot. He looked around and caught Andrea's attention by waving his hand at her. She made a gesture that she'd be there in a minute and Merle turned back around, not saying anything.
When Andrea came, a few minutes later, carrying a tray of dirty glasses and discarded bottles which she dropped with a clang on the edge of the bar for sorting through in the back a little later, Merle reached out and caught her by the upper part of the arm.
"What do you want, Merle?" Andrea asked, not pulling away yet.
"Listen here, sugar tits," Merle said. "Fuckin' Ed Peletier might be wanderin' his sorry ass 'round Sweet Junction."
Andrea chuckled and shot a look in Daryl's direction.
"Yeah," she said. "I got the memo…most of the town knows, Merle. Ain't like this place is a locked vault of secrets or nothing."
Merle chuckled a little…more the strained chuckle that he did when he wasn't really amused at something but wanted to fake that he was. Daryl knew the sound well and he assumed that Andrea probably did too. It was one of Merle's signals that he was out of bullshit for the moment.
"Don't'cha go fuckin' wanderin' 'round on ya own, ya hear?" Merle asked. "Ya stick ya ass ta some damn body…ta Carol…ta Daryl…ta me…ta ya fuckin' lil' boyfriend even. Don't give two fucks who but'cha better stick to 'em like ya fuckin' Siamese twins."
Andrea looked at Merle, all the humor having left her face and then she rolled her eyes in Daryl's direction and let her gaze settle on him for a second before returning it to Merle who was staring at her intently.
"Wasn't planning on taking Ed on, if that's what you mean," Andrea said. "I think I know how to take care of myself. It's been a long damn time since I needed a babysitter."
"Ya damn well better have one now," Merle responded. "If the fucker wants a fight then he's gonna get one, but he don't need ta be findin' you nor Carol all by yaselves an' actin' like ya too damn big for ya britches."
Andrea pulled her arm loose from Merle then and heaved up the tray.
"Ed Peletier isn't going to mess with me," Andrea said. "And I'm not stupid."
She took the tray in her arms and headed back toward the back of the bar from which she would reemerge once she'd cleaned the tray.
Daryl glanced at Merle.
"Why don't'cha just say ya worried 'bout her?" Daryl asked.
Merle rolled his eyes again in Daryl's direction and served himself another shot which he tossed back quickly, sucking his teeth and hissing in air after he swallowed.
"She'll keep her ass in check," was his only response.
A few minutes later Daryl's attention was snatched to the other side of the bar when he heard someone call his name rather quietly for the usual din of the Water Ho.
Axel had slipped in unnoticed by either Daryl or Merle. He had pulled up a seat just where the bar bent…apparently his new "seat" and was sitting there, smiling in Daryl's direction.
"Ya know where Andrea is?" Axel asked once he saw that Daryl was looking in his direction.
Daryl glanced at Merle and saw that his brother saw the man as well. He didn't know, at least not with any real certainty, how Merle felt about Axel. There was really no reason for there to be bad blood between them. Axel hadn't done anything to Merle and he hadn't exactly "taken" Andrea away from him. Axel had simply been there to offer some attention to Andrea when Merle was too damn hardheaded to pay her any and now it seemed that Merle wanted her back, but Andrea was going to make him work for it, and for whatever reason Merle wasn't entirely ready to bite the bullet and follow Daryl's lead on how to get what the hell you wanted out of life.
Still, none of this was Axel's fault, and though Daryl wanted his brother to be happy, he wanted Andrea to be happy too. He had nothing against the man so long as Andrea liked him and he was a damn cheery son of a bitch if there ever was one. It was pretty damn hard to dislike him, even if Daryl had actually wanted to put any effort into the act.
"Gone ta sort dishes," Daryl offered.
Axel nodded his understanding and produced Andrea's purse from under the bar, putting it in front of him.
"Called me down here," Axel said. "Left this in my car…said she's gotta drive home and didn't wanna do it without no license."
Daryl nodded his head at Axel.
Andrea appeared out the back a moment later wiping her hands on her pants. She glanced directly at Daryl and he gestured his head to the side so she looked in Axel's direction and realized he was sitting there.
A smile spilled over Andrea's face and she started directly toward him.
"Thank you!" She said, reaching her hand out and accepting the purse that he held up for her. Daryl watched as Axel leaned up and over the bar and Andrea leaned in, meeting him and pecking him on the lips.
"Didn't wanna see ya locked up," Axel offered. "Don't got enough bail money for ya."
Andrea chuckled and put her purse under the bar. She grabbed up one of the clean beer glasses stacked close by and started filling it with whatever no name draft they were hustling for the night.
"Let me buy you a beer," Andrea said. "It's the least I can do for the gentleman that would drive all the way out here to bring my forgetful ass my purse."
Daryl watched the interaction with little interest. He'd seen the two of them more times than he could count at this point. Axel was frequently at the house and both Carol and Andrea adored him. Daryl didn't mind him around Carol because it was clear that his interest lie solely in Andrea and that his kindness to Carol was merely that extended to the close friend of the woman he was trying to cozy up with.
The poor man was damn near like a dog, Daryl thought. He followed Andrea around and let her dictate damn near everything he said or did. He'd do nearly anything she wanted him to do without even a moment's hesitation. If there was a face for what Merle would call pussy whipped, Axel was the poster child. What made Daryl even more amused was the fact that he knew from Carol that Axel hadn't so much as gotten a piece of it yet…he was caught up hook, line, and sinker just from the mere thought of it, or so it seemed.
Daryl glanced at Merle and realized his brother was watching the entire show with a little more intensity than he was. Merle was clearly interested in seeing how things transpired between Andrea and Axel…and Merle didn't have the same insider information that Daryl got from Carol when she was feeling gossipy.
Merle growled a little in his throat when he saw Andrea lean to kiss Axel again, scrunching her nose up at him in faked disgust as she wiped whatever beer foam had apparently gotten on her face from his mustache.
Daryl studied Merle for a second and then leaned toward him, bumping his arm against his brother's.
"Ya could put a stop to it, brother," Daryl said. "Just gotta be fuckin' man enough ta do it."
Merle looked at Daryl sideways and made a noise somewhere between a growl and moan. Daryl smiled.
"Or ya can let the ole boy move in on ya girl," Daryl said. "All the fuck up ta you. He's gon' win, though, if ya don't play the fuckin' game at all. Ya forfeit an' ya sure as shit ain't gettin' the prize."
Daryl made sure to keep his voice low enough that Axel couldn't hear him, though the man wasn't paying them any attention anyway. He'd turned on his stool, beer in hand, and was either watching some of the drunks play pool or was watching as Andrea worked the tables near the drunk pool players. It was really hard for Daryl to tell which.
"He ain't winnin' shit," Merle said. "An' I ain't carryin' no damn purse neither."
Daryl chuckled.
"Might wanna swallow that pride one day, Merle," Daryl said, fixing himself another shot.
"Ya sayin' ya'd carry a purse, Derlina?" Merle asked, leaning in a little.
"In a fuckin' heartbeat," Daryl said. "But I know what the hell I got."
Daryl finished off the shot and chuckled.
"What's so fuckin' funny?" Merle growled.
Daryl shook his head.
"Hell, ya oughta see the damn diaper bag my ass is gon' be carryin' 'round when my kid gets here…shit's 'bout big as a fuckin' suitcase an' it's all plaid and bright as fuckin' Easter Sunday," Daryl said.
"Ya turnin' into a real damn pussy, Derlina," Merle said.
Daryl sucked his teeth. He might be…but he didn't mind it one bit.
"That's alright," he said, deciding to try and get his brother's goose a little with the newfound levity of the moment. "I might be a pussy…but at least I'm gettin' plenty of it too."
Daryl chuckled again as he heard his brother scoff. He didn't miss, though, that his brother glanced over his shoulder ever so quickly to get another look at where the hell Andrea had gone darting off to. Daryl thought there might be hope for his brother…even if he'd have never dared to think it before. Merle just had to get there on his own time and hope to hell he hurried up before Axel got completely in the way.