Starting today I am officially Daryl Dixon's 'girlfriend'. Yeah right. Way to go Daryl. Ya know, I should be excited about this considering I do have feelings for him, but nope. I have no idea if Daryl really sees me as girlfriend material or not and I sure as hell don't wanna make him go through this if he don't. I get that he lied to protect me from Merle, but now everything's just gonna be complicated and awkward.

Wanna know what puts the cherry on top of the cake? William Dixon is a free man as of today at five o' clock. I don't know what'll happen if that asshole hears that his boy is 'off the market' now. I thought Merle would've flipped out, but life seemed to be playing tricks on me last night. Sure he was mad after Daryl oplenly told his brother that the video girl was his ol' lady, but then he inhaled an 18 pack of Budweiser in like an hour and a half.

It's literally been an hour since Merle found out that his baby brother has a lady and now he's on his sixteenth beer. This whole time I've stood back and watch Merle cuss Daryl better then any sailor, to the point where it even got physical for like five minutes. When Daryl finally got Merle to calm down a bit, he dragged me out back to start a fire. Guess he thought that if we all sat down under the summer night sky around a bon fire, his brother might just relax a little. Kumbaya or some shit.

So, here we are now. The three of us watching flames do the jitterbug while both brothers had a beer in their hand. For once in my life I turned down the alcohol that was offered to me, I for sure wanna be sober right now. It was quiet for a little while, the only sounds to be heard was the wild life and surrounding cicadas singing to each other. Then Merle decided to interrupt that. "So," he started quietly. Daryl and I both watched him as we waited for him to continue. "you must really like this girl, if ya made her yer woman."

Daryl was quiet at first, it seemed like he was thinking hard before he let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, she's cool. Look, it's nothin' too serious Merle. We're jus'...testin' the waters is all. She's a good person...and she's been loyal ta me. Just chill out though brother, ain't like we're gonna up and get married tomorrow."

I watched Merle sit there, deep in thought, so I added my two cents into it. "We're just more like, real good friends. He's been helping me learn ta shoot and hunt better. I've been bringing yall's dinner over for the past year in return. Like he said, it ain't that big between us."

My nerves are going haywire the quieter it gets. Seems like Daryl's in the same boat I'm in as we watch Merle sit there with his chin to his chest. Don't really wanna be in the middle of these two fighting again, but I'm kinda shit out'a luck without a way to get home. Unfortunately, I know this seems crazy but, I never learned how to drive. And I sure as shit ain't gettin' in that truck with a tipsy Daryl. Looks like I gotta stay the night in this hell house.

My train of thought came to an abrupt end when Merle began to chuckle. Daryl and I looked at each other completely confused before looking back to the oldest Dixon. He finally slowed his laughter down enough to speak after a few seconds. "Damn...I've been wonderin' why my worthless ass brother suddenly took up cookin'. Not ta mention it tasted better than any platter of shit he'd serve up." Daryl smirked and shook his head, but I full blown smiled. Is that acceptance I hear? "Well then video girl-"

"Uh...it's Kelsi, actually. Kelsi James." I stood and held my hand out to the man so many are afraid of. The man that was the leader of a biker gang known as the Savage Sons. The man that wined and dined in all sorts of drugs. I stood in front of this man with my head held high and no fear on my face. "It's good ta properly meet ya, Merle Dixon."

He smirked up at me and grabbed my hand firmly as he stood up. He towered over me and gave me a strong hand shake. "Kelsi James...hmph...ya know...yer alright girly." I couldn't help but smile again. He let go of my hand and walked over to his brother. Merle grabbed a hand full of Daryl's shirt and pulled him up into a side hug, Daryl gruntin' in protest the entire time. "Yup lil bro...ol' Merle is a man that will admit his defeat-"

Daryl smirked and interjected him with a light, "Yeah right."

Merle, however, ignored him and went on. "I can rightly say ya picked a good one. In fact," he smiled real big. "I think we outta formally welcome her inta the family. What'dya think about that son?"

Daryl smiled and at that point, I was starting to get a lil' freaked out. "Hmph. I think that's the best idea you've had all night bro."

Okay, now I'm freaked out and confused. There was no time to figure it out though, 'cause the next thing I know, Daryl's holding me under my arms while Merle grabs a hold of my feet. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you-" I couldn't finish my sentence 'cause I was too busy making a weird squeally sound as they lifted me up. I didn't know what they were tryin' to do, but all I could think about was wiggling my way outta their grip.

Then, SPLASH! That's right folks. Those dick heads tossed me into the biggest freakin' mud puddle they could find, then stood over me and laughed as I struggled to stand back up. I kept slipping and face planting right back into the mud, gettin' more and more angrier as their laughter got louder. "Oh fuck both'a ya!" That didn't do anything but make them hold onto their knees 'cause their laughter was gettin' harder. "Yeah...keep laughing." I tried to stand up again for the third time and once again slipped. "I hope you bitches choke and die laughin'."

Daryl slowed his laughter down into a light chuckle as he wiped his eye. "Oh come on now KJ. We're jus' messin' with ya." He bent down and grabbed a hold of my arm, pulling me back to my feet. I kept a hold of his biceps to keep from falling again. "See, yer alright girl. It's jus' a lil' fun."

I glared at him at first, until it turned into a malicious smile. "Nah, nah. Yer right Daryl. This is fun." And with that, I shoved him as hard as I could into the mud. Of course he tried to use me as leverage by holding tight to my waist, so I fell on top of him.

Here I am. Straddling my 'boyfriend'. The both of us covered in mud while Merle laughs his ass off above us. I slowly lifted my head up from his chest, using the back of my right hand to wipe as much of the sticky dirt from my eyes as I can. During my temporary blindness, I could feel what I assumed was Daryl trying to wipe his eyes clean as well. As soon as I thought it was as good as it's gonna get, I opened my eyes and look down. Laughter escaped me almost instantaneously. The look on his face was so priceless. He looked at me like he wanted to kill me, but I could tell he was trying to hold back his own laughter. He let out a sigh while shifting around and trying to wiggle out from underneath me. That didn't seem to last long though, he soon stopped after letting out a hiss. I could tell by his face that something wasn't right. "You okay," I asked him quietly enough that I knew Merle wouldn't be able to hear over his laughing spell.

He grunted and wiggled a bit to his left before nodding. "Yeah, think I landed on a rock or somethin'." I nodded my acknowledgment and decided it was time to get up, which I tried to do, but unsurprisingly fell on his legs. He let out another grunt of pain before pining a glare on his brother. "Merle! Why don't ya stop actin' like a damn hyena and help us up?!"

Merle shook his head and wiped a tear from under his eye before finishing off the last mouthful of his beer, tossing the glass bottle into the fire once it was empty. "Alright, alright." He leaned in and wrapped his right hand around my bicep while grabbing ahold of my right hand with his left one. "Come on Hollywood. Ready?" I nodded my answer before he gave me a hard tug out of the mud puddle, keeping his grip tight on me until my feet was steady. He soon let go of me and bent down, taking grasp of his brothers hand before pulling him up quickly and effortlessly. Daryl and I stood next to each other as Merle looked us over, wiping his now mud covered hands onto his jeans. "You two kids go on in and tidy up. Put ya makeup back on. I'll stay out here and kill the fire." We both nodded our agreement and started making our way to the house, stopping for a second as Merle continued. "And don't yall be hittin' it in my shower neither! Ya ain't too old ta get a beatin' from ol' Merle!"

Looks like Daryl can be a gentleman when he wants to be, since he let me take the first shower. I tried to take one as quick as I could while still making sure I came out completely mud-free. Once I was finished, I did stand there for a minute to the let the water wash most of the grime down the drain. Coming out of the shower, I quickly wrapped up in the towel laying on the toilet seat. I had already tied my dirty clothes up in a grocery bag before getting into the shower, so I made sure to grab that on the way out. Daryl was in the hallway when I stepped out. Sending him a smile I said, "Your turn cutie." He smirked and shook his had at me. Before he could shut the bathroom door, I added, "Hey. I'm gonna borrow one of your shirts again." I gestured down to the cut on my thigh. "And some more bandages too."

He peeked his head back out the door and narrowed his eyes at me. "Oh, so now yer askin'?"

I couldn't help but giggle at him. "Didn't ask...I was just lettin' you know. Oh, and another thing, looks like I'm stayin' the night so where should I sleep?"

He gave me a weird look as if he was going to ask me something, but I guess he just let it go. Instead, he stood there for a moment, thinking to himself before finally answering me with a low voice. "You can, uh,...sleep in my room. Go on, be there in a minute. Oh and, put some more ointment on that too. Don't want the stupid thing gettin' infected."

"Alright. Thanks." And with that, he shut the door as I turned into his room. Opening his drawer, I found an old worn out plaid button up shirt, which, like most of his shirts, had the sleeves removed. I swear, Larry the cable guy would be so proud. I didn't have to worry about undoing the first couple of buttons, since those are not even attached anymore. The shirt fell down to the middle of my thighs after I slipped my extra pair of clean panties on. I wasn't really sure what to do with my hair, since I forgot to put my brush in my purse. Luckily enough I had an extra hair tie usually wrapped around my wrist, so, I gathered all but my bangs up and tossed it into a sloppy bun once I was finished towel drying it. I also quickly redressed the still opened cut across my thigh.

Soon as I finally sat on the lumpy mattress, in walked a fully clothed Daryl, sporting a sleeveless gray tee and black sweat pants. The first thing he did was deposit his dirty laundry in a black basket by his dresser. But once he turned around and saw me, he couldn't help but shake his head and smirk. "Ya wanna borrow some pants THIS time?"

I just shrugged my shoulders and laid on my back, from my knees down were still hanging over the edge. "Eh, I'm good. I'll get too hot if I sleep with pants on."

He plopped down on the mattress to my right while letting out a long sigh. It was silent for like, five seconds before his head landed on my stomach with enough force to make me grunt a little. He just laughed at me while I cursed under my breath, then his right forearm claimed the top of my thighs as it's resting place, making sure to avoid the bandaged wound. We both found ourselves relaxed in the peaceful quiet, the occasional sounds of Merle rummaging through the kitchen in the background. But then I decided to get curious. "Hey, Daryl?" I addressed him with a hushed tone, and the way he responded, let me know how tired he really was.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about your crossbow."

His head shifted a little before finding a more comfortable spot. The weight and warmth of him resting on my stomach actually started to feel good. "What do ya mean? What about it?"

I couldn't help but place my hand into the bed of his hair then. It felt so soft and thick too. My eyes shut on their own as I massaged and scratched his scalp. "I don't know. Why a crossbow?"

He let out another sigh through his nose, I could feel his warm breath hit the parts of my thighs that weren't covered by his arm. "My, huh...my uncle Jess bought it for me as a birthday gift. He takes Merle and I huntin' a lot up in Cabot Ridge. He's got a cabin out there. We plan on headin' up there in a few weeks. I already told him you were comin', so you'll meet him then."

I couldn't stop the smile. "Oh yeah? Ya just invite me without even askin' me?"

"Tch, well duh. Haven't ya learned this past year that you go where I go? It's even easier now, since everyone thinks yer my ol' lady."

I bopped him on the head. "Yeah and ya didn't discuss that one with me either."

He quickly scratched the part that I hit. "Like there was any time to discuss it. I was tryna keep Merle from jumpin' both our assess."

"And us being a couple was the first thing to pop up in that empty head of yours?"

"What's it matter anyhow? Ya like me, right?"

I let out a sarcastic laugh at that. "If I didn't like ya, I sure as fuck wouldn't spend so much time around ya."

He gave my knee-caps a tap like I did to his head. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothin'. Okay, next question."

"Whoa, whoa. What do ya mean 'next question'? What is this, twenty questions yer tryin' to play?"

"Shut up and just answer 'em. It ain't hard questions."

He let out another irritated sigh and swiped his hand over his face. "I guess."

I thought for few seconds what I was gonna ask him. My goal is to get to know him a little better, but I know not to ask anything too personal. "Okay...do you like Lynyrd Skynyrd?"

"Psh. We live in Georgia, right? 'Course I like 'em. They're probably one of the few bands I can really listen to."

"Alright, alright. What about Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr?"

"Yeah. I think I like Jr a lil' more though."

At this point my grin has transferred into a full smile. "Johnny Cash?"

"Yup."

"Awesome. You like the same music I like."

He chuckled a little. "Merle likes David Allan Coe."

My laugh escaped me before I could even think about holding it back. "Merle would like David Allan Coe."

Mere minutes after that, we both ended up passing out in that same position. When I woke up, Merle was already gone. Dary and I shared a cup of coffee and that's when he chose to inform me of his dad coming home today. That was this morning. Here am I now, waiting. Waiting on what, you ask? Well, Daryl told me to wait til' he got his dad home, then he would call me and let me know how it went. However, the phone call I received, wasn't the one I was expecting.

Daryl told me he had plans to try and 'wean' my existence on his dad. To try and talk to him about who I am and what I am to his youngest son. You see, his dad is going hunting with us at his uncle's cabin. So he was going to find out about me anyway. Daryl thought it would make things easier if he just talked to Will, instead of me just showing up. But I guess life decided to mess with me again.

I didn't have work today, so I've just been keeping myself busy with tidying up the house. I made sure to keep my cell phone on me the entire time, waiting for Daryl's call. I was so nervous about how his dad would react to me. Over the year, he's told me a few stories about how aggressive, hateful, racist and down-right cruel his father can be. So at this point, I don't know what I'm getting into.

Transporting my basket of dirty clothes to my laundry room is when the phone call finally came. I was so lost in my own world, that the sudden loud ringing actually scared me. Making me jump and spill every article of clothing onto the hallway floor before I was able to fish it from back pocket. "H-hey. I was wondering when you'd call."

The first thing I heard was glass breaking, followed by a lot of yelling in the background. I couldn't make out everything that was said, but whoever it was, they could cuss even better than Merle. "We, uh...we got a problem."

That worried me. His tone sounded very pissed and very serious. "What do you mean? Is he really that shitty because you have a pretend girlfriend?"

I could hear him let out a heavy breath through his nose. "Heh, I ain't even had a chance to mention you yet."

Placing my phone in a position where I can hold it up with my shoulder, I squatted and started tossing my laundry back into the basket. "Okay. So I'm not in trouble yet. If it ain't about me, then what the hell's got him all riled up? He just got outta jail like an hour ago."

The sound of a door shutting came through, on top of the background cursing becoming a lot more muffled. He must've gone in his room. "Yeah well, as we was walkin' out, Merle was walkin' in."

"What? Now Merle's locked up? What the hell for?"

He pushed out an exhausted sigh. "I don't know. They wouldn't tell us much. Just that they caught him with his stupid ass merchandise. I told him he was an idiot for walking around with that shit."

"Yeah, but the cops must've had a reason to search him. Ya think someone tipped 'em off?"

"I got a good feelin' it's got somethin' to do with the club. Dad's been on one since I got him home though. I think it's best if you stay away from here til' we head out in a few weeks. Maybe he'll be calm by then. Hard to tell though, since none of us have the money to bail that oaf out right now."

While he was talking, I dropped the basket off into the laundry room and found a seat on my living room couch. "What about practice? We was gonna train some more before the huntin' trip."

"Yeah that's the other thing. My crossbow's been missin' since earlier. Think Merle had somethin' to do with it since ain't nobody else been here."

This time, the sigh was escaping from me. "Why would he take ya crossbow?!"

"Who knows KJ. He's my brother but he's an asshole. I gotta stay here with the old man anyways. Don't want him to do somethin' dumb enough to land him back in Fontana like Merle is. Ya just gonna have ta practice on ya own. I'll pick ya up in a few weeks and we'll ride to Cabot Ridge together."

"Fine. I'm gonna get off here and finish my laundry. Try not to fight with him Daryl. My leg should be healed up by the time we go, so I don't wanna see any marks on you."

"Hmph. Ain't got nothin' to worry about with me. Later."

Another sigh left me as I put the phone down. This is just great. Now Will's gonna be all pissed about Merle. So throwing me into the mix is probably just gonna stir some more shit up. Daryl told me that his uncle Jess and Buck, his dad's friend, are okay. I guess Jess has been somewhat of a father figure for Daryl as well, so according to him, I should be accepted by him. His exact words to me this morning was, 'If ya do right by him, he'll do right by you'. So now all I have to worry about is William Dixon. Maybe if Daryl and I partner up and track away from his dad...things will be okay. Maybe.