A/N: So sorry I had a fight with the format monster and lost. Please excuse that mess. Thank you to everyone who has left us love. We love you.
Starting over hadn't been easy, Carol was afraid of being with Ed and afraid of what it meant to leave. When she finally made the move to get out of the relationship she knew he wouldn't take it lying down.
Being married to Ed had been a nightmare. Only three years and she couldn't have taken one more day after what happened.
It began so insidiously and gradual that by the time he was hitting her regularly it seemed almost normal.
She had been that woman who said it would be a cold day in hell before she'd stand for a man pushing her around but there it was. Her parents told her he was no good for her but she was determined, in the beginning, to prove they were wrong.
One lie piled on top of another and soon she was making excuses for him so often she could hardly remember the truth.
Ed was the kind of man who got angry over almost everything but mainly it was control. Whenever she didn't do as he wished or he was jealous it was her fault and she'd pay for it.
Her wake up call came the last time he laid his hands on her and choked her till she passed out.
The moment he left the house the next morning she took a cab to the women's shelter and never looked back. The woman she spoke to that first night listened to everything she'd been through and made her feel safe. Tammy became a good friend very quickly and Carol wondered in the beginning if it was just a professional concern. Soon they were going for coffee and spending time together, it did Carol good to have a friend who understood what she'd been through. Being married to Ed had isolated her from her old friends who quickly got tired of being anywhere near him and all the tension.
Tammy helped her find her current job and it had been a Godsend. Merle was Tammy's boyfriend and Tammy told her she'd be safe there and she was right.
The one time Ed showed up at her work, during the divorce proceedings, trying to threaten her out of following through Merle put his foot down firmly.
"It's really simple, Ed! You don't call her, you don't come near her and if you can help it, don't even think about her! It's over! If you pursue this, it'll become my concern and trust me you don't want that!"
"This is between me and my wife!" Ed had argued. Carol was humiliated to have this happen at work, she wished he'd just give up and leave her alone.
Merle came to stand between them and looked down at Ed.
"There nothing between you and her anymore, understand?" Merle's voice was such a low growl that it gave her the chills. He really meant it and one look at Ed's face proved he could hear it too.
Ed had backed down then and she hadn't seen anymore of him since. Living in the same city, she was hoping it was over but could never be sure.
By now, a year later, she was comfortable in her job and Merle was like the big brother she could have used all along.
He had just come in the office for the day and she had saved him with her quick thinking and fantastic coffee for the hundredth time.
"I'm gonna have to leave early today, darlin'."
She found it amusing how he'd almost run it past her when he left early when he was the boss.
"OK, what's up?"
"Gotta pick up my brother at the airport at noon. Maybe I'll bring him by, you'd get a kick out of it. He looks nothing like me."
"Brother?"
"Yeah, didn't I mention that? He's been away with the coast guard for the last year. He's on leave so he's gonna help me out."
"No, you never mentioned him."
She kept working, thinking nothing of it.
"Huh, that's weird I thought I did. Check it out," he said, fishing through his wallet for a picture.
He handed the photo over and she looked down at it. It was a man with sandy brown hair in a coast guard uniform looking very serious. She couldn't help getting a little wide eyed, he was very good looking. Merle was right, though, they really looked nothing alike. Merle was handsome but in a completely different way. His clean cut looking brother in the uniform didn't even look related.
"Wow, he's pretty cute!" she joked.
"Don't even think about that! This guy is relationship poison, keep lookin'."
She laughed and shook her head returning to her work and handing him back the photo.
"He's gonna be helping out around here so add him to the payroll if you don't mind."
"No problem, I'll just need his information."
"He's staying with me and you know my address, his name's Daryl. What else do you need?"
"It's OK, I'll get him to fill out a form when he gets here. It's just bank info and social insurance number, that kind of thing."
"OK, better get busy."
Merle went off the work and she got busy with her morning paperwork.
By 1:30 in the afternoon Merle showed up with his brother to fill out the paperwork.
Carol had to rush off the phone with Tammy and her mind went completely blank.
He looked better than the picture somehow. He had dark jeans and a band t shirt on. His short hair was a little scruffy and he walked in with his head held high like he owned the place.
"Carol! This is my baby brother, Daryl."
She stood up at her desk and wasn't sure if she should just say hi or shake his hand but he answered the question for her.
He held his hand out to her and she automatically reciprocated. He had a firm handshake and when she went to speak her voice failed her on the first attempt.
She cleared her throat.
"Sorry about that, nice to meet you. I'm Carol."
"Daryl," he answered, smiling widely.
He had an air about him that she found interesting right away, he was confident but friendly.
"So you're stuck working with my brother everyday? Poor girl."
She hadn't been called girl in years, it felt pretty strange.
"Merle is pretty good and he needs me for my good coffee."
He laughed and nodded at her.
"She's got some paper work for you to fill out if you want to get paid."
"No problem," Daryl answered, walking over to her desk.
"I'll be out talking with the crew for a bit," Merle said, heading out the door.
She hoped her hands wouldn't shake, she got nervous around attractive people. It was a curse.
She handed him the papers, paper clipped together and a pen.
"I'll just need to photocopy your driver's license if that's OK."
"Yeah," he said, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans. His arms were muscular and tanned, he'd obviously been spending a lot of time outdoors lately.
He handed over the license and she turned to go photocopy it. She realized he had nowhere to sit and was leaning over the desk and writing.
"Please, sit in my chair to fill that out."
"Thanks."
She went to the copy room and lay his license down on the glass and copied it... twice.
This man had the best looking driver's license photo she'd ever seen and just maybe she might want to look at it later.
She felt like a criminal folding the second copy and stuffing it in the pocket of her blazer. She couldn't quite tell what had come over her but he was the first person she had looked a twice since her divorce. She was starting to wonder of she'd ever find another man attractive but the answer was clearly yes. The only problem was Merle didn't seem to like the idea at all.
When she returned to her desk he was still writing and she stood watching him, with a wolf's grin she couldn't seem to wipe from her lips.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favorited this story. We had so much fun writing it. Also the tags got messed up. This is a Caryl story. But we both love Merle and would never forget him. He will get his time in the spotlight too.