Red River Blue

Chapter 70

"Were ya dropped on yer head as a baby?," Merle asked, looking at Rick like he had completely lost his mind. "Just 'cause the two of ya are butt buddies now, doesn't mean I'm goin' anywhere with that motherfucker!"

"Merle…," Rick said, trying his absolute best to keep calm and not allow the man to get a rise out of him. But before he could even get more than the man's name out, Merle lit off into another tirade of insults and curses. Rick consoled himself with the knowledge that at least Harley was still back at the house sleeping and not out here, screaming back at her father and making things worse. In the middle of the walker mess that was going on, the last thing he wanted to deal with was Harley and Merle going a few rounds with each other.

"There's no one else!," Rick finally hollered. "We gotta take half the council to the meet. The rest have to stay here to protect the town. Someone has to clear the fallback location in case we need it. You said you would do it."

"I said I would do it!," Merle hissed, gesturing towards Negan. The man was standing nearby, his posture casual as he watched Merle throw his fit with an amused grin on his face. "I never said I was taking that fucker with me."

"No one's allowed out by themselves," Rick countered. They all just agreed on that at the council meeting. Including Merle. When his calm reminder was met with more cursing and an accusation that Rick had somehow planned this to trick him, Rick cast a hopeful glance towards River. Merle wouldn't listen to him, but there was a chance he would listen to his wife. A small chance. But that was better than nothing. River was hovering nearby with Merle's bag on the ground near her feet. Rick ticked his head slightly, encouraging her to talk some sense into her husband. He knew Merle didn't like Negan. But at this point, anyone that wasn't dressed in a walker suit pretty much qualified as part of the team.

River furrowed her eyebrows, wrinkling up her face in the way that made the crook in her nose look more prominent. Rick watched her curiously as she pulled an elastic out of the pocket of her tight jeans and used it to gather her hair into a sloppy bun on top of her head. When she picked Merle's pack up off the pavement, Rick was expecting her to shove it at him. But instead, she slung it onto her own back and tightened the straps.

"It's cool," she announced, "...I'll go."

Merle's face lit up into a big grin. And he moved forward towards River, preparing to wrap his arm around her shoulders. But she put her hand up, stopping him mid-motion.

"Oh no," she warned. "We're at war with another group. One of us has to stay here with the kids." River gestured towards Negan. "If you don't want to go with him, then I will." River clapped Merle on his shoulder before she bounced over to stand with Negan.

"That's the best damn idea I've heard all week," Negan exclaimed, his eyes roaming over the curve of River's hips and lingering on her exposed cleavage.

"Right!," River agreed, bumping the side of her body into his. "We're about to have so much dang fun!" River was talking like an overgrown cheerleader, making the sloppy bundle of hair on her head bounce around as she spoke. But suddenly her smile faded and she glanced up at Negan with a look of concern. "When I was packin', I could only find one sleeping bag," she admitted. "So if we get stuck overnight, we might hafta share. I hope ya don't mind."

Rick scratched at his facial hair, trying to hide his smirk. The horrified look on Merle's face was the funniest thing he'd seen in weeks. It wasn't often that the man was left at a loss for words. Deep down, Merle had to know that he was being manipulated. But it was probably hard to consider that when his mind was on his wife climbing into a sleeping bag with another man. And not just any man, but one that she had questionable sexual contact with once before.

"Oh," River said, waving her hand like she was dismissing Merle completely. "Axel stole like four jars of applesauce from the lockup, ate them, and then threw up all over our bed. So you might wanna get started on the laundry while I'm gone."

"THE FUCK?!," Merle cursed, finally remembering that he had a voice. He stomped over and snatched River up by her arm, pulling her away from Negan. "Stay the fuck away from my wife!," he barked, as though Negan had approached River instead of the other way around.

Negan took a step back, displaying his open palms. Merle yanked at the backpack on River's back, pulling it off and slinging it over his own shoulders. Rick cringed a little. He didn't care for the rough way Merle was grabbing at his wife. But since River wasn't objecting to being manhandled, he decided not to intervene. And he was relieved he made that choice. Because the moment Merle got his pack strapped on, River pressed her body flush up against his and kissed him hard on the mouth, making it very obvious that she enjoyed the jealous fit he just threw.

"You boys have fun," River suggested, backing off once she got done cramming her tongue halfway down Merle's throat. She shouldered up next to Rick, blowing a kiss at Merle as he stomped off towards the gate with Negan behind him.

"Was that necessary?," Rick asked once the gate closed behind them. River giggled, raising her eyebrow up as she looked at him.

"Ya said ya didn't want Merle comin' to the meetup because ya thought he was gonna start some shit. You told me ta get rid of 'im!" River pointed towards the gate to emphasize her point. "And now he's gone. Yer welcome!" River pulled at her hair to adjust the bun on her head before she added, "...they need ta work out their differences anyway." Rick snorted, unable to hold his laughter back any longer.

"Work out their differences," Rick repeated through his laughter. "Merle's gonna kill him."

"Well that'll leave us with one less fuckin' problem ta worry about," River countered.

Rick shook his head, noticing that River glanced towards the gate with a hint of concern in her eyes. The official story about what happened that night in the clearing was that Negan beat Abraham's head in and raped River. But the truth was, no one knew what happened in that trailer between River and Negan except for River and Negan. And whatever that was, she didn't seem to have any animosity towards the man now. It was Merle that was holding onto a grudge. Not that Rick blamed him. He killed Shane for sleeping with his wife. And there was no question that Lori was a willing participant in what went on between them. He didn't want to imagine what he would have done if he found out Shane forced himself on Lori.

"Y'alright?," River asked, slinging her arm around Rick's waist. "Yer eyes went glassy there fer a minute. Like yer mind was somewhere else…"

"I was just thinking about someone I used to know," Rick explained, shaking the images from his mind. By the time River and her daughters showed up at the prison, Shane was long gone. They had no idea who he even was. Or that he was Judith's biological father.

"You're still going to the meet, right?," Rick confirmed. He got a little worried when River started hollering at Merle about staying home with the kids. Carol could not be talked out of going to the meet. And Rick didn't need to add wrangling Harley to his plate during what already promised to be a stressful encounter. Despite her and Merle's odd way of getting along with each other, River could be counted on to remain calm and not start any shit unless Alpha started it first.

"Don't worry," River said, clicking her tongue and winking at him, "...I got yer back."