A/N Happy New Year! Thank you so much for stopping by. I've been sick with some kind of respiratory thing for the past week and I feel like I'm down for the count. I'll rally soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, I didn't get quite as far as I hoped to with this chapter. There's still plenty going on though, and I hope you enjoy it!
The Dead Man
They've never done this. There's never been enough time. It seems like there's always so much to do just to survive up here on the mountain. Today's no different, they're putting on a special family Christmas dinner. Of course it was all Beth's idea, Daryl would never even have thought about it. Oh sure, he might tell Merle and Frankie to come over and have some dinner, but he wouldn't think about all this fuss.
He likes it though. Beth always makes everything special, but today's going to be extra special. She made a Christmas tablecloth and napkins, and she's got a jar filled with pine twigs and tied with a ribbon for the center of the table. There's a red candle, and yeah, the whole thing looks real nice.
Daryl's got his part to do too. He's got to get the deer on the spit and get it cooking and he'd admit to being excited about that. Hell yeah, it's going to be fun and good eating too. That's not all, it's making Beth happy and he finds that the happier Beth is, the happier he is.
Shit though, besides all of that, they've got their regular chores to do. There are animals to feed, and greenhouses to work on, all the usual stuff, but none of those things are what they're thinking about right now.
They just married each other and that's all they're focused on, celebrating the marriage.
They give each other sweet and mischievous smiles as they crawl back in bed, and Daryl pats Beth's bottom as she's sliding under the covers, "All right lady, time for a honeymoon." They know they can't just lay around all day and bask in the joy they're feeling, but like Daryl said, they can damn sure take half an hour.
They make love and although neither of them really expected it to be different just because they got married, it is different. How is it possible that the love and commitment seem more intense now? They don't know and it doesn't matter. They're so happy and satisfied and that's really all they're thinking about in this moment.
As they're lying in each other's arms celebrating their wedding Daryl tells her, "Ya know how people will say sumthin' changed their life or whatever, but mostly I think they're being dramatic. You though Beth, you changed my life in ways I can't quite believe. I went from not wantin' anyone around ever, ta not bein' able to imagine my life without you. I love ya lady and I'm glad we got married."
Her head is resting on his chest while the tips of her fingers softly slide over his skin, and she smiles when she tells him, "Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed living up here. Survival isn't easy and there's always so much to do, but I love doing it all with you Daryl. It's not how I thought my life would go, that's for sure, but this life is better than any I could have imagined for myself, and I thank God every day for bringing us together."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
His mouth covers Beth's and all the love they feel is in the kiss they share. He smiles at her, "I guess I better get that deer goin' if we're havin' Christmas dinner."
"Thank you, Daryl."
"For what?"
"For being you."
"I can't say for sure, but I think I'm a whole different person when I'm with you Beth." He seems to leap off the bed, "Okay, I gotta make it happen."
He's cooked plenty of smaller animals, rabbits, ducks, and roasts of meat on the spit, but never anything as large as the deer. Daryl needed to make some modifications, and yesterday he rigged it up.
He knew he had to have a good size spit rod and meat forks to hold the animal's weight. He was able to fabricate the spit rod from a trailer axle he'd saved. The meat forks were a little tougher but with the help of his small welder and various pieces of scrap metal, he got them done. He's sure the rod brackets he has will work, they're stout. But just to be safe he's fortified them with more steel.
He liked the idea of cooking the whole animal on a spit, but what he didn't like was the idea of standing there all day turning the damn thing. It's not like rabbits, or birds, or fish that cook quickly. With them it's not such a big deal to manually turn the spit. But this hunk of meat, man, what a pain in the ass.
He got to thinking and he came up with an idea. He took the motor out of the small water pump that's destined to be used on Merle's bathroom sink, he'll get it put back together for his brother tomorrow. It's a simple mechanical gear motor and all he has to do is manually adjust the stroke to get the meat turning just as fast, or just as slow, as he wants. He's hooked it up to the pickup battery for his energy source and he's pretty sure it will work.
He's about to find out.
This is Daryl's first Christmas and Beth has tried to make it special for him. Their tree looks so beautiful, and the table is set with the festive tablecloth, napkins and centerpiece. The only thing that could make it all better would be if they had Christmas lights, but as soon as she thinks about that, Beth reminds herself, Daryl won't miss them. He's never had them.
Beth's got the pies in the oven, the table is set, and she's getting her potatoes scrubbed. When they're dry, she'll wrap each in the foil she's used so many times, and when the timing is right, Daryl will set them down in the coals where they'll roast up just right. She's scrubbed and wrapped more than they need for tonight, so that tomorrow she can cut up the leftovers and fry them for breakfast. They'll be a great accompaniment to the duck eggs.
As Beth has been working her mind has stayed on her husband. He was so good to go out in the bitter cold and get them this deer, and she wants to make the rest of the meal, and this day, special for him.
Merle joins Daryl at the spit where they sit as close to the fire as they can, trying to stay warm while they drink coffee and B.S.
Daryl doesn't tell his brother about the dead man yet. He'll wait and tell them all tomorrow. He does bring up the subject of booby trapping the place though. "We could do bow traps. I got more than one bow, and it wouldn't be hard for you and even Frankie and Beth to make a few more, we sure as hell got the lumber and these wouldn't have to be good huntin' bows. We need arrows too, and we can make plenty a them. So, I'm thinkin' we make these bow traps. I read all about em and it's pretty easy stuff. We pull the bow taut and ready to launch the arrow. We attach it to a tripwire and when whoever's comin' by sets the wire off, the bow releases right where they're standin'. If it works right it should hit em mid body."
Merle's nodding, "Yeah, that oughta be simple enough ta set up. We just gotta make sure we have a map of where every trap we set is located. I don't want Frankie or Beth gettin' hurt."
"Oh hell no, I'm with ya on that,"
"What else ya got in mind?"
"I was readin' in this book about booby traps the Viet Cong used, and I came across punji sticks. We wouldn't do it quite like they did, but they'll get the job done for sure. The work comes in diggin' the holes, big holes. We cover them with sumthin that's flimsy, maybe a sheet, sumthin' like that. We camouflage it with dirt n leaves n stuff so a guy doesn't realize he's about to step in a hole. When he does fall in, there's more trouble than just bein' stuck in a pit. In the hole there's a bunch of sticks pointing straight up, each one with a real sharp pointed end on it like a spike. We can whittle em easy enough. They'll do some damage to a guy, plus, I don't expect anyone ta be able ta crawl outta the hole."
"Ouch man."
"Yeah, well it's not really designed ta kill, but if we wanted ta make it damn near impossible ta get out of, all we gotta do is cover the walls of the holes with the same sharp sticks. I'm talkin' knife-like, Merle."
"Yeah, I heard about them punji sticks, the Cong coated em with shit and piss, didn't they?"
"Yeah, a lotta times they did, but we ain't gonna do that. We don't need to."
Merle's about to ask about more, but here comes Beth with the potatoes and instead he's all smiles for her and asking, "Hey there Little Sis, whatcha ya got?"
There's no way they can fit all the food on the table. Besides the venison, potatoes, peas and carrots, and the rolls that Frankie made, there's gravy. Everyone's excited for that. Daryl set a pan under the meat as it cooked, catching the drippings so Beth could make the gravy.
Beth says grace and they all go along with that, holding hands and bowing their heads because they know it means something to her. They're also aware it probably isn't hurting them one bit.
Daryl carves the meat making sure they all get some tenderloin, in fact, everyone wants to try a little bit of every cut of meat that makes up that big roast.
They don't typically overeat. They're all very conscious of the need to make their supplies last until they can grow more food and hunt more food. Today is different. It's Christmas. They have this huge bounty and they're savoring the fact that there's so much good food before them. They eat with gusto as they celebrate the holiday, and express gratitude they've all survived to spend this day together. They also spend plenty of time talking about the biggest excitement, there's a baby on the way in the New Year.
Mid-meal Beth slides her chair back and says, "Excuse me a minute." She grabs three little bundles from under the tree, all wrapped in Christmas fabric and hands one to Merle and two to Frankie, "That little one is for your little one."
"Oh Beth, this is so sweet." Merle watches while Frankie opens her package and says, "Oh I love them, and boy, living in this weather you sure learn to appreciate a good pair of warm socks. Thanks so much Beth."
Beth's all smiles when she says, "Open that little package, that's my favorite thing I made."
Frankie does as asked, and again, she's so delighted, "Oh my goodness Beth, these are the most adorable little booties I've ever seen. I know baby's going to love them."
Merle's checking them out and he has to ask, "Ya sure them are gonna fit Sis? They're so tiny."
Beth pats his arm and grins, "They'll probably be too big at first."
"No shit?"
"No kidding. Now open yours Merle."
He does and smiles, "Yes ma'am, I am in need of these," and stands to kiss her cheek, adding, "Thanks so much Sis," as he admires his new socks.
He wouldn't ask if he didn't know for sure his brother stepped up, shit, the last thing he wants is drama, but Daryl's confident when he puts the question to Merle, "So brother, what did ya get Frankie for Christmas?"
"Well ya know, I ain't a rich man so I couldn't buy her that fancy new car she wanted. I did the next best thing though. She's been havin' a little trouble with her legs swellin' up on account of Junior, so I made her a stool ta put her feet up on when she's settin' in her chair." He looks over at Beth and says, "Beth was real sweet too. She made a kind of cushion top for it. I fastened it on the stool n now it's like one a them fancy ottomans."
Frankie's all smiles, "It's so cute and it's going to be a Godsend. Thank you, Merle, thank you Beth."
Beth asks, "Did you give Merle something, Frankie?"
"I did something for him I knew he'd really appreciate, of course I couldn't have done it without your help Beth, thanks for teaching me."
Daryl's confused, "Well what the hell is it?"
Frankie giggles, "Well, I lined his dungarees with flannel. They'll be much warmer now."
Daryl nods, "Yeah, that's a good one. Merle's always been real delicate."
"You're just jealous little brother."
"Nah, I'm sure Frankie made ya a great pair a pants, and Beth knitted me some real special stuff too. I got gloves, I got socks and I got a cap."
Merle looks at her, "No shit little sister? What did you get?"
She holds up her left hand, showing off her new ring and says, "I got married."
Frankie's beaming, "How did you do that?"
Beth and Daryl tell the story of how they married each other that morning. Merle's just looking at Frankie the whole time and knowing, now he's got to come up with a ring and get married, pronto.
While the women do dishes, Merle and Daryl go to the big kitchen at the front of Merle and Frankie's house to wrap the meat and other leftovers to be refrigerated. They know they're going to be enjoying some of these things again, with duck eggs in the morning.
They're just finishing up, and both looking forward to having a slice or two of pie, some coffee, and maybe a little moonshine later, so, it seems to come out of nowhere when Merle suggests, "Ya know, we could set up a lotta snares around this place. It's a pretty easy way ta stop a fella and find out what he's all about."
Daryl doesn't argue, "Yeah, I agree. I say we give a few things a try. Ya know Merle, there's a damn good chance no one will ever bother ta make the trip all the way up this mountain, but there's also a damn good chance someone will. I don't want us ta take any chances, that's all I'm thinkin', let's keep ourselves and these women safe, and your little guy too."
Merle's nodding his head and wondering, "How the hell did two guys with no responsibility for nuthin' in this world wind up bein' responsible for so much?"
"It's a mystery brother, all I did was go out huntin' one day and help a lady who was hurt."
New Year' Eve
They're sipping on moonshine, except for Frankie, she's having some blackberry tea Beth made for her. Beth isn't drinking much of the liquor either, she doesn't want to bring the new year in feeling sick. They're all having a good time playing card games and just relaxing by the fire when Frankie suggests, "Let's all say what we're hoping for in the new year."
Merle looks at her and says, "Well that's real simple for me. I want ya to be strong n healthy, and the baby too. I aim ta make sure ya stay safe."
Frankie smiles, "Thank you Merle. That's almost the same as my hope for the new year. I want to have a healthy, happy baby, and I want us all to be safe. What about you Beth?"
"Oh gosh, well I want the same, I'm so excited for the baby and I want us all to be healthy and safe. I love our family and I love our home and everything we're making of it."
Then Daryl asks her, "Yeah? Well what if in the New Year the world righted itself? What if they found a cure for whatever this disease is? What if the world went back like it was? The government cleaned up the mess, and people and businesses started rebuildin', and it was all just like it was before. You could go home. You'd have your apartment, your car, your job. What then? Would ya still wanna be up on this mountain instead of down there?"
She knows this is his insecurity asking, when will he ever just believe how much she loves him? "Yes. I want to live on this mountain if this is where you're living Daryl, but if you go back to life in town, then that's where I'm going too."
It's 8pm when they all give each other a quick kiss, yell, Happy New Year! And they're off to bed.
New Year's Day
They decided to ring in the new year with breakfast by the fire. It seems like a cold and ridiculous idea, but Daryl has the fire blazing, the chairs are set up close to it, there's warm coffee, oatmeal and eggs and it's just something fun and different. They can always go in if they get too cold.
This is the time when Daryl decides to tell them what he found when he went out deer hunting. Frankie's stomach turns when he mentions the name, Jed, and Daryl instantly spots the distress in her eyes. "What Frankie? Ya think ya know him?"
"I might. One of Negan's men was named Jed. He was a really mean and creepy guy."
"Well, I's thinkin' either he came up the mountain with them, or he followed em up here and they didn't know it. Whatever, I'm pretty sure he froze ta death." He pulls the Driver's License from his pocket and hands it to her. He's about to ask, "Is that the guy," but he doesn't have to.
Frankie takes the license from his hand and the minute she sees the picture a loud gasp escapes her, "Oh my gawd, it's him. It's Jed."
Merle wraps his arm across her shoulder, "Hey sweetheart, never mind now, he can't hurt ya. He's dead."
She looks at Daryl and asks, "Are you sure?"
"More than sure, there wasn't much left besides his skeleton and some dark hair."
"Oh thank goodness. He had a small group of men he ran with though. They were as awful as him. They called themselves the Marauders."
Daryl's sitting up straight now, "How many?"
"I don't know, two for sure, but I didn't know them. I wasn't at camp long, just a couple of days and they all left almost right after I got there. I got the story from one of the other women that they were mad at the leader, Negan. I guess they didn't like taking orders from him."
"There, that's the answer then, this Jed asshole wasn't with Negan when he came here, he just followed him and his shithead pal. Maybe his buddies followed too. I'll go out tomorrow and scout around for em. Maybe they were close and I just didn't see em."
Beth looks so distressed when she says, "Daryl, don't you think that's dangerous? What if they're waiting?"
"I ain't worried about that lady, I'm guessin' that blizzard we had is what killed this Jed guy, and no-doubt them right along with him. They were prepared for the type of cold weather ya get in town, not the cold weather like ya get on the mountain."
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A/N Will Daryl venture out again and if he does, what will he find? Please leave a comment. The Chapter Photo is on my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick, I hope you'll check it out.
Happy New Year and I hope to see you back next week for a new chapter of The Man on The Mountain. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee