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Chapter 45.
Merle's POV.
January 27th.
Merle was sat in a leather chair, in a quite corner of the bar he had found a couple of blocks from Karen's. He was leaning forward just a tad, staring into his tumbler he had gripped between both his hands searching for answer's, but at the same time knowing he wasn't going to find any at the bottom of his glass. Merle wasn't sure how much time had passed since leaving Karen's, 10mins, 1 hour or so he didn't know. Even leaving Karen's and walking here was a haze, the only thing that was a constant in his mind was Sophia and how she had been tortured and put for so much pain. Pain that no child should have to go though.
Merle's phone beep, dragging him from the thoughts in his mind and back to reality, here and now. Merle took a quick slip of his drink, before setting the glass down onto the table. the whiskey burning his throat was welcome. Merle reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his phone. He switched the screen on seeing that he had 10 missed calls and 5 messages all from Tara. Diregarding the calls, Merle check the message's reading them all.
Tara- We back at the motel. Are you OK?
Tara- Answer your phone, I'm worried.
Tara- Sophia is still asleep, Merle please don't do anything stupid.
Tara- Where the hell are you?
Tara- right you leave me with no choice but to come and find you, and if I find you have done something stupid Merle, I'm going to kill you. We need you Merle, me Daryl and Sophia.
Merle smiled at the message god Tara could became pain sometimes, but god damn it he did love her, just knowing she was worried and reading that they needed him was enough to kick his mind back into gear.
Shit if Tara sees what I have done, she gonna kill me.
Merle type out a quick message to Tara, letting her know that he was ok and would be back soon,after sending the message he put his phone back into his pocket, before downing the rest of his drink. He got up, walked out of the pub and walked the couple of blocks back to Karen's all the while hoping and praying that Tara wasn't there.
Merle walked though the front door of Karen's house, everything was quite. Merle let his eyes scan the front room quickly checking for Tara. He let out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding when he found no sign of Tara being here. He quickly made his way over to the door at the end of the hall, unlocking it and walking through he was greeted by the slight of Karen chained up to the wall, her checks where red and wet from all the tears she cried, and the screaming she had done. Her wrist was stained red from where the shackles had been digging into her wrist as she tried to pull free. She really was a pitiful slight and Merle had no sympathy for her at all, as far has he was concerned she deserved this and so much more, but Sophia didn't, she had already been though too much in her life already and Merle wasn't about to add to it now.
Karen's eyes snap wide open and her mouth pop open in surprise at the slight of Merle standing in front of her. Karen started to feel scared oh god what's he doing here? What is he going to do to me? Has he come back to kill? Karen really didn't know what has going to happen to her, she was so scared she was going to lose her life, that she really regretted shouting at Daryl and Merle and letting it slip about Sophia. But at no point did the thought about Sophia and all the she must of gone thought entered her mind, all she cared about was Merle finding her here and the possibility that he might hurt her. She didn't care about Sophia at all!
"Merle please.. "Karen started pleading after find her voice. " Please don't hurt me, let me I won't tell anyone. "
"Of course ya won't Karen." Merle spitted out in disgust "As ya don't want to be found out, do ya? All you care about is yourself! "
"No Merle I swear its not true, I'm really sorry, it was so hard I didn't know what to do."
"Oh do shut up Karen." Merle growled " ya really are a spiteful, narcissistic person. I don't care what ya have to say, and I don't wanna to hear it. You going to listen to me right? "
"Sure Merle of course, anything you say."
"Good." Merle stated. " its gonna to go like this. I'm gonna to take Sophia home.."
"You can't take her." Karen interrupted.
"Excuse me, though I told ya to shut up?"
"I love her, please Merle." Karen tried, hoping that pleading with him, he might stop.
"Please Karen ya don't love anyone apart from your self. Now do shut up, I won't tell ya again!" Merle growled. "I'm gonna to take Sophia home where she will be safe, you aren't gonna to stop me, or even say anything about it. Than I'm gonna to do a DNA test to see if she is Daryl's, are we clear?" Merle questioned calmly.
"Yes Merle I'm clear, what's going to happen to me."Karen asked.
" see even now all you care about is yourself, not trying to stop me take Sophia."
"That's not true Merle, I know there is nothing I can do to change your mind no matter how hard I try, maybe if I just agree you might let me have her back later on. After a while."
"Not gonna to happen. And ya don't give a shit so stop pretending like ya do." Merle stated, locking his eyes with hers. "I will take Sophia, and ya will stay away from her for good, ya hear me?"
Karen didn't say anything, she just nodded.
"Hear me?" Merle growled.
"Yes, Merle." Karen answered.
"Good!" Merle nodded. "Oh by the way I want Sophia signed over to me."
"You can't make me do that Merle, she is my daughter. "
"Oh I can and I will, ya don't care about or deserve her and weather Daryl is her Father or not, I'm gonna take care of Sophia always and make sure ya have nothing more to do with her again. Ya won't try and stop me. Ya won't come any near Sophia again. Ya won't even look at her. Are we clear?"
"Sure Merle." Karen smiled.
"Good." Merle said, stepping closer to her.
"What you doing you?" Karen cried.
Merle didn't answer her, he just took the key he need for the chains from his pants pocket. To enable him to unlock her. He unlocked both shackles, freeing her hands, and wrappng his fingers around her wrist as he pulled her away from the wall and closer towards him. Karen watched Merles movement, with fear.
"I'm gonna to let ya go, and ya are going to move as far away as ya can "
"Of course Merle, anything. Thank you." Karen smiled.
"That's get one thing clear, shall we?" Merle question, his teeth grinding together. "Im not doing this for ya. I'm doing this for Sophia's sake, as she don't need to go thought anything else at the moment, she just needs to be safe and for ya to stay away from her."
"Yes I understand. " Karen replied.
"Good, now get out of here." Merle growled, dropping her wrist and taking a step back from her.
Karen rubbed her wrist together trying to east some of the pain. While looking around nervously.
"What you waiting for, get out. "
"Merle I'm going to do what you say and stay away from Sophia, but to do that I need some money as I have no way to go "
Merle was back in front of her again, his fingers wrapped around her throat in a flash. "Look hear ya bitch" Merle spited out. " I don't care where ya go and I'm not gonna to give ya anything. Ya can jump of bridge, or die in a ditch of all I care, do the world a favour if ya did."
Karen nodded the best she could with Merles fingers around her. Merle released her and took a step back. "Now get out. "
Karen nodded and careful step around Merle. She run as soon as she got near the door, she run down the hall, out the front door and down the street as far as she could from Merle, not stopping for anything on the way out.
Merle released a breathed he had been holding, as he started to calm down once Karen was gone. He really wanted to kill her, come so close so many times. The only thing stopping him was Sophia she didn't need to go for any more hurt or pain. She needed him to be there for her, she needed looking after and that was exactly what he was going to do. Merle stuffed his hands into his pants pocket as he made his way out of the house, not stopping to collect anything on His way out, Sophia didn't needed anything from here he will buy her new instead. Merle blinked at the brightness of the sky as he walked out, surprised to see that it was near daylight, the sun raising in the sky.
As soon as Merle walked thought the door of the motel Tare jumped on him, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him into a hug, as she stared firing question after question at him." Where have you been? Are you ok? What happened? Why didn't you answer your phone? Did you kill her?"
Merle hugged her back in surprise. "Wow there, I missed ya to." Merle chuckled.
Tara step back out of the hug and slap him across the face before Merle even knew what was happening. "God damn it Merle, its not funny. You have been gone for 24hrs. Now fucking answer me. Did you kill her?"
Merle blinked in surprise. "What? I've been gone 24hrs?" He couldn't believe he had been gone for so long, it didn't seem that long to him.
"Yes Merle. Now tell what happened."
Merle nodded as he moved into the room." How is she?" Merle asked seeing Sophia asleep in the bed.
"She is OK, been sleeping a lot, work up for a bit we had some food when she went back to sleep, probably needs to catch up on some sleep. She be happy to see you are back she kept asking about you."
Merle nodded taking a seat in the chair. "I didn't kill her." He whispered.
"Say again?" Tara asked stepping closer to him.
"I didn't kill her." Merle replied looking up into Tara's eyes. "I wanted to so bad, I even come close a few times. But I couldn't do it to Sophia, she don't need no more pain in her life."
Tara kneeled down into her knees keeping her eyes locked on Merles the whole time, she was glad he didn't kill her.
"Merle." Tara said gently placing her hands on his knees. "I glad you didn't kill her, tell me everything that happened.
Merle nodded before telling her everything. He told how she didn't care about Sophia at all only herself, how she never meant for any of them to find out about Sophia and claiming her to be Daryl's kid. He told Tara about how he grab Karen and chained up against the wall in the same room they found Sophia in, about how he locked her in and left her there for so long that even he doesn't know how long. How he only saw red and images of Sophia, and that he didn't even come to his senses until he saw her text messages. Tara listened to everything her face going Paley and Paley with every word. That woman really didn't deserved to live. But she was glad that Merle didn't do anything as she was not worth it, not worth him ruining his life over her.
"Merle." Tara said gently. "You did the right thing in letting her go, she wasn't worth you ruining your life over her."
"I know, thanks for being here."
"Don't be daft there's no way else I would rather be." Tara replied pulling Merle in for a hug.
"Thanks." Merle mumbled hugging her back.
"We rest up here one more day before we head home." Tara said.
"Sounds good, I'm fucking knackered." Merle chuckled pulling out of the hug.
"Time for bed than Mister." Tara smiled.
"Yes Mama."
"Merle, is that you?" Sophia whisper into the room.
"Hey sweetheart." Merle said, standing up and moving towards the bed. "I'm here, ya OK?"
"Just tried, where have you been?"
"Nothing to worry about now sweetheart, go back to sleep."
"OK, will you hug me?" Sophia whispered.
"Sure sweetheart, we both will."
Merle climbed into the the bed and wrapped one hand around Sophia, holding her close, as Tara climbed in the opposite side of the bed, wrapping her arm around Sophia. So Sophia was in the middle of them both, it wasn't long before they all fall asleep. Tomorrow they will start there new life together, as a family in one form or another.