Thanks so much everyone! xo
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We ended our last chapter on Thanksgiving Day, but in this chapter we backtrack just a little to the day they brought Merle to the cabin after the shooting. We'll work our way back to Thanksgiving.
SNOW
His once quiet little cabin, his refuge from the world, has become something else entirely. It feels so crowded, like every time he turns around someone is standing there. All the activity and the talking, it's all so loud. What's happening here is nothing like the peaceful, solitary life Daryl once imagined for himself.
He has a moment when his urge to yell and punch the wall in frustration almost wins out, but he doesn't do either, and no one in the room would guess just how on edge he is. He takes a breath and tells himself to be a man, to muscle through whatever he has to muscle through. These people are his family and he'd die for them. Fuck him, he can put up with a little crowding and noise for a few days.
That's just what he's been trying to do since he brought Merle and Frankie home, and Daryl is a gentleman when he offers, "Frankie, it might be kinda rough sleeping with Merle tonight. Why don't ya bunk with Beth and I can sleep on the floor with Jack." Beth appreciates that he's being so thoughtful, the perfect host, but she didn't agree to anything like that. She wants to sleep with Daryl. Well fine then, she'll just get down on the floor and snuggle up with him and Jack.
She keeps her thoughts to herself, and she's so relieved when Frankie declines, "That's really kind Daryl, but no. Merle and I can manage." Daryl's every bit as relieved as Beth.
The stoves are stoked, the quilts are stacked on the beds, and everyone's exhausted when they crawl in. Daryl and Beth are cuddled up, listening to the wind howl and the whooshing and whistling sounds it makes as it blows through the tree branches. The sound of it, the power of it, and their knowledge of how it feels when it threatens to rip right through you, those things make it feel even warmer, cozier and safer to be lying under the covers of the big, soft bed with someone you love.
Daryl whispers in her ear, "I wish we were here alone; we could be havin' a little fun right now."
She tries to muffle her giggle when she whispers back, "Me too. It's okay though, something tells me this is just the start. It's only November, we'll have plenty more storms before spring."
"I kinda hope we do."
Boy it's hard to get out of bed when morning comes, but Daryl's got a lot to do and he's the first one out of the sack. With Frankie sleeping 10 feet away, he can't be walking around the place in his underwear. He quickly pulls on his Carhartt pants, and slips his flannel shirt on over the long sleeve t-shirt. He tugs on a second pair of socks, then his boots, and quietly walks the few paces to the woodstove.
Although the fire is no longer blazing, there's a good bed of hot coals. Daryl adds more logs, uses the bellows to get the coals blazing, and the fire starts to roar. He heads to the bathroom next, for two reasons. One of the reasons is to stoke the woodstove there. He gets that done, then takes care of the other reason.
It's the same situation with the bathroom woodstove. There's no blazing fire, but there's a nice bed of hot coals. Later today he's going to have to shovel ashes out of both the stoves, probably Merle's too, but for now he's only interested in taking the chill off the place. He's sure this will be his main goal all winter long, trying to stay ahead of the cold. It's going to be a full time job. He's damn glad he chopped all that fucking wood. One other thing he grudgingly admits to himself, as soon as Merle heals, it'll be a real good thing to have his help.
The last stove on his route through the house is the cookstove. He takes care of it just like he did the other two, and now he can get a pot of coffee going. Although they brought nothing in from the pickup last night, he knows they've got a wealth of coffee, at least for now. He plans to enjoy it while it lasts.
He sees the movement from the corner of his eye, glances over at Beth and they smile a "good morning" to each other. She's slipping her jeans and a sweater on over her long underwear, then she slides her feet into her fuzzy slippers and hurries to the bathroom. He's glad he got it warming up for her.
When she's done in there she walks right to Daryl. They hold each other close while he strokes her hair and whispers a question in her ear, "Just how long do ya think they gotta stay with us?"
His brother and Frankie haven't even been with them 24 hours. Oh Daryl. Her face is buried in his chest and she's trying so hard not to laugh out loud. Finally, when she thinks she can control herself for a minute she whispers back, "I was wondering the same thing. I think just three or four days. Merle isn't going to take long to heal, and I'm sure we can trust Frankie to keep him from doing anything he shouldn't. I'll help her get their place put together and get their stuff moved in."
"K, in the meantime I guess I gotta just settle for this," he begins to kiss her and that kiss is full of desire, she almost wishes it weren't. It's making not being able to crawl back in bed together tough. Daryl and Beth are both deep in the moment and deep in desire, when Jack licks his hand.
"Ah shit. Poor Jack. Let's see what kind of situation he's facin' out there this mornin'."
Daryl opens the door and him and Beth gasp in astonishment, horrified by what they see. There's what appears to be a solid wall of snow blocking the doorway. Daryl quickly shuts the door and begins to get his knit cap, gloves and coat on.
Reality is, they're trapped. He's going to have to dig them some kind of way out. He takes a deep breath as he picks up the snow shovel, "I'm sure as hell glad ya thought ta bring the shovels in Beth, otherwise I'd be diggin' out by hand."
Beth nods, "Give me a minute to get my gloves and stuff, then I'll help."
"Nah, not right now, lemme just see what we got. You get the breakfast goin', we're gonna need all our strength ta make it from here ta them ducks."
"Oh my poor little ducks. Okay, let me get us something warm going."
Although Daryl and Beth have kept their voices low, all the talk has Frankie up and around, and Merle grumbling, "What the fuck's goin' on around here? We havin' a party?"
Daryl responds, "Yeah, that, and we're fuckin' trapped by a mountain a snow."
Merle starts to rise from the bed, muttering, "Well gimme a minute ta get dressed and I'll help dig us out."
Frankie, Daryl and Beth respond in unison, "No!" As if they'd been rehearsing it.
Merle's giving all three of them the stink eye, "Well shit people, c'mon now. We all need ta be workin' on this and I ain't one ta just lay around."
Daryl makes a promise, "Don't you worry brother, as soon as Beth says you're well enough, I'ma be workin' your fuckin' ass off all day, every day."
Merle flips him off, grumbling, "Anyone ever told ya you got a mean streak a mile fuckin' wide little brother?"
Beth gets after them both, "You two stop it right now and I mean it. This is about our survival."
They both respond, "Yes Ma'am," and Daryl shares his idea, "I'm gonna crawl out that window there," he points to a spot just past his and Beth's bed. "I can see clear sky out of it so I'm thinkin', I get out, climb around ta the front and shovel us out that way."
All agree it sounds good, but Beth insists. "Okay Daryl, but for now, you're having some coffee and something to eat. Then we'll both go out there. Frankie can mind the house and Merle."
Frankie agrees, "I can, but I could also help shovel."
Daryl says, "No, you stay in here. There's work ta be done and if someone don't watch Merle he'll be gettin' hisself in some kinda trouble."
Merle's pissed, "A'ight, that's enough of pickin' on the wounded guy. I ain't done nuthin' wrong."
Beth agrees, "That's right. You've been so brave, and I don't think I've told you, thank you for thinking of my ducks and getting all that feed for them. I know they'll be so happy."
"Yeah, I bet they do a dance or sumthin'," Merle laughs, and his face quickly contorts from the pain. "Fuck man, that hurts."
Beth's voice is soft and caring, "See Merle, you just need to take it easy for a few days."
"Yeah Sis, thanks."
Frankie jumps in as Beth starts dishing up Daryl's plate, "Beth, you get your plate too. You guys eat. Merle and I can have our breakfast in a little while, and I'll get everything cleaned up here. I know how to keep the fires going, and I sure know how to tidy up a house. Don't worry about a thing."
Beth smiles, "Thanks Frankie." She realizes that having another woman around will make her life easier.
"No, no, thank you guys. My gosh, I can see living up here is going to be a team effort."
After the morning meal Daryl works at getting the frozen window open, then lifts poor Jack up and out. The dog's been holding on a while now. Beth goes out next, then the shovels go, then Daryl. It's not an easy walk to the front of the house, it's dangerous and exhausting as their legs sink deep into the fresh snow with every step. They force them out, and twice Beth loses her boot, but there's no quitting. She just puts it back on, cold and soggy, and they keep going.
They get to within a few feet of the front door and begin shoveling toward the cabin, clearing a path. Two hours later they have a pathway to the door, yes, the doorway to the cabin is accessible. They go inside, Jack bouncing behind them and making a beeline for the fire, while Daryl and Beth strip off their coats, gloves, hats, boots and socks, and hang everything in front of the fire to dry. Daryl tells her, "A'ight, we just dehydrated the hell outta ourselves. Drink up lady," and he hands her a cup of water. They both drink one down, then two more.
Their faces hurt, their lungs ache, and Beth is sure her lips will never be right again, but they're no longer trapped. Now they just have to dig and clear their way to Merle's house, and the tool shed, to take care of the birds.
While they're warming up Frankie has been heating turkey soup, "You two need to eat and this will help warm you up from the inside." Daryl and Beth don't even think about arguing with her. What they've done so far has exhausted them and they're starving, but as soon as they're done eating, they're back at it.
Thank God. The sun has broken through the haze and if it will just stay out for today and tomorrow, a lot of the snow will melt away, or at least be easier to clear.
It seems to have taken hours and hours and hours, but they've finally made it to Merle's. The coals in his woodstove and oven are cold, but still the ducks were sheltered from the wind and the snow, and they all seem to be okay.
Beth gets the fires going strong while Daryl hurries over to Merle's truck and gets a sack of the birdseed. When he returns Beth has her gloves and coat off and she's in the little pen she made, talking to her birds. When she smiles up at him he feels all the reasons he fell in love with this woman.
He watches her with the ducks for a few minutes, then invites, "Why don't ya come over and stand in fronta the fire with me."
She smiles back at this man she loves, "All right."
He gets them water, peels off his own coat and gloves, and they stand in front of the woodstove just holding each other and enjoying the closeness of each other and the warmth from the fire. Beth's the first to say it, "Daryl, if we hadn't been able to dig our way out of there it could have really ended badly."
For once he's the one with the positivity, "Yeah, but we did get out. I don't think there's anyone else who woulda worked as hard as you, ya never quit lady and that shit was brutal."
"Oh my gosh, it was. I don't think my lungs will ever be the same. I'm so glad you told me to tie my scarf around my face." She cups his face in her hands and says, "And what about you Daryl Dixon. You were determined. I might have helped, but you did most of the work."
He doesn't answer with words, he just pulls her closer and they start to kiss and the passion takes over their ability to think clearly. It's still cold and neither of them is feeling like undressing completely, but they don't have to. Where there's a will there's a way, and soon they're making love on the quilt in front of Merle's wood stove.
They lay there spent and she softly runs an open palm over his cheek, "Now I'm really exhausted. We'd better go see about those turkeys because pretty soon, I'm going to just tip over."
He smiles, gives her one more deep kiss and agrees, "I'll be tippin' with ya."
They adjust their clothing, the ducks have plenty of feed and fresh water, there are fires going and Beth promises each of them, "I'll be back soon for a visit."
Daryl just smiles, cuz yeah, that's his sweet lady.
The shoveling isn't getting any easier. Their arms are sore, their backs are sore and each is tempted to simply call it a day, but they can't do that to the turkeys. Daryl brought them here, and now they're his responsibility.
They make it to the tool shed and things aren't quite as good as they were at Merle's. One of the hens is dead. Daryl shakes his head, "They had a rough start gettin' here, and then that fuckin' storm. Let's hope the rest of em make it."
They give the birds some seed, fresh water and when they leave they're so grateful not to have to shovel their way back to the cabin. Once they get inside their home and get their boots and wet garments off they practically collapse into their chairs.
Frankie brings them each water and an apple, and says, "You two rest. Dinner will be ready in just a bit. I know you must be starving."
By the time they sit for dinner they're all exhausted, but Merle insists on getting out of bed and sitting with them, "My ass ain't broken, just cracked a little."
Daryl shakes his head, "Yep, he's back. Same ol fulla shit Merle," he tried so hard to sound grouchy, but Daryl can't help laughing, and damn, he's so fucking glad his brother survived something that would have killed most men.
When the group has finished their meal and Beth stands to clear the table, Daryl's hand wraps around her wrist. He looks up at her and says, "Wait, we're all gonna talk about sumthin'."
Beth's instantly filled with dread, which she hopes is a ridiculous reaction. Daryl just wants to talk, but she can't help worrying. It seems there's always something. She just wants a few days of nothing. She'd like to feel so bored she could scream. What a break that would be.
Merle's more vocal, "Oh shit, now what?"
"Serious Merle, we gotta think about what's best for all of us. It ain't like the old days when it was just you n me against the world. It's still you n me, but the world is a lot more dangerous and we ain't just thinkin' about ourselves anymore. We also gotta think about what's best for these women, and what's best for that baby of yours that's comin'."
Frankie and Beth are all ears and Merle's nodding in agreement, "A'ight, I'm listenin' brother, what's the plan?"
"The plan is real simple, we ain't leavin' the mountain again. We know now, it's easy for bad guys to spot us and follow us. Shit, what happened to you was bad Merle, but if them assholes had been patient and just followed you n Frankie up the mountain, there's a good chance they'd a got the drop on us and we'd all be dead now."
Everyone's quiet while they digest that reality, then Daryl continues, "So, we live here on the mountain, and we work hard ta provide for ourselves, and we've only got what we've got. I'm sure this winter we'll finish off the last of the coffee. We'll probably never have another cuppa that. The milk too. It'll be gone and that'll be that. We'll just hafta learn ta live without them things."
"Let's think about what we do got. We got meat, we got quite a lot of canned goods still, we got medicines. We got a shitton of material for clothes n whatnots, and Beth's real good at sewing that stuff up, what about you Frankie, do you sew?"
"Not much, but I'm happy to help with what I can, and happy to learn if Beth wants to teach me."
Beth smiles, "Oh I'd love that, and knitting too. If the storm we just had is any indication of what winter has in store, we could pass some pretty enjoyable time knitting."
Daryl nods, "There ya go. Now, we gotta think about sumthin' else, and that's protecting ourselves. Who's ta say somebody won't think it's a pretty good idea ta get up here where we are and make a camp, and they might be the kind of folks who would just as soon kill us as ask us if we'd mind it they joined us here. So, what that means is, we gotta have plenty of booby traps set up to keep them assholes away. Merle, you n me are gonna talk about ideas, and as soon as you're able, and there ain't a storm, we're gonna start. The good news is, I don't think anyone can make it up here until spring so we got time."
Merle agrees, "I'm with ya brother, it was way too easy for that shithead ta follow us. And I guess you n me went without milk growin' up and we ain't dead. I am worried about the baby though."
Frankie offers, "I'll be nursing the baby."
Daryl shrugs, he's embarrassed but there's no time to worry about shit like that, "Whatever, we should hold back on some of that canned milk til we see how that nursin' goes."
Beth nods, "I agree with Daryl."
"The other thing we gotta do, and Beth and me talked about this before Merle ever got here, is, we gotta get started on the greenhouse. Now that we know we ain't gonna try'n find anything in town, or any town, we gotta get serious. We'll get all the parts of it built, and then all we gotta do is assemble it, like a big kit, when the weather turns."
Beth is all smiles, "I'm really excited about the greenhouse, I think it's going to work, but I have another idea."
"Yeah?"
"Well, at first we thought it was just you and me, now we have Merle, Frankie and the baby, and there are liable to be more children. Maybe we should consider making it a lot larger than we originally planned."
Daryl agrees, "Yeah, I think you're right, and I think we got plenty of stuff."
There's more to discuss, "Merle, Frankie, we're gonna hafta section off your place. Make the back half of it private, your home. But the front part with the oven and butcher table n all, it's still gotta be the place where we cut up our meat and do our canning. We'll need that work area over the winter too, for building the parts for the greenhouse."
"I'm fine with that," Frankie's just so grateful she and her unborn baby are with good and kind people who are serious about surviving whatever the heck it is that's happening in the world.
Merle smiles, "As long as Frankie's in agreement, I am, but there's one thing we gotta do before we start buildin' anythin' else. Me n Frankie gotta have a bathroom. I ain't freezin my ass off ta take a leak, and I got all the stuff."
Daryl chuckles, "Hell, I don't blame ya. I'll start on it tomorrow, whenever you're feelin' up to it, you pitch in. Shoot, I might have it done before you're ready."
Merle shrugs, "I'm feelin' pretty good brother, I think I'm goin' home day after Thanksgivin', if Frankie wants."
"Sure I want, but only if Beth says you're okay."
"I'll be fine. I still might not be good for much for a couple more days, but we'll let you two have your place back, and me n Frankie will set up housekeepin' for ourselves."
That night, as soon as she hears the low, rough snore coming from Merle, Beth whispers in Daryl's ear, "I think we better save all the canned milk and a lot of the powdered milk too."
"Yeah, ya think we need to?"
"Yes, I think, well it only makes sense that...Daryl...we might get pregnant too."
"Is that what ya want? Would ya be happy?"
"I always wanted to be a Mom, and I love you Daryl, so of course I'd be happy to have your baby."
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A/N Hmm! Please leave a comment! The Chapter Photo is on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with more of The Man on The Mountain, and I hope you'll be here too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee