OK Rebirth fans, I got a rare break today and I chose to do some writing, enjoy! – Athlete Girl

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Everyone could definitely tell that Beth was a bit off at dinner. Puffy eyed, she went through the motions of helping set the table and getting the kids fed, but when she sat down she only pushed the food around on her plate. Merle's eyes bored into her from across the table and the one time she looked up to meet them her chin trembled and she looked down again. Miguel, Daryl and Carol carried the conversation and Miguel's question startled Beth out of her reverie. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked. Miguel repeated his question. "We go to Sweetwater in two days, get trade to pack in the trailer for Decatur?" Beth nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea Miguel. Even with two cattle in the trailer we'll have plenty of room for trade."

She woodenly helped Carol clean up and smiled in surprise when Carol tenderly rubbed her arm. The question that Beth had been avoiding was in Carol's eyes. "What does your heart tell you to do?" Beth went to the washroom and rinsed her face with cool water before Carol wrestled the kids in there. Beth looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She had made her choice. After kissing the kids goodnight and helping Carol and Daryl usher them into their shared bedroom she sighed, straightened her shoulders, then walked out onto the porch where Miguel and Merle sat and sat on the porch swing next to Merle. Together they reiterated their plan to trade in Sweetwater, then yawning, Miguel excused himself and retreated to his bedroom. Merle and Beth were left alone, sitting on the porch swing and looking at but not seeing the bright night sky.

"You wanna tell me what' goin' on?" Merle growled. Beth jumped, startled and obviously on edge, then she nodded haltingly then began to tell her story, starting with Zion and Zach then to Sweetwater. Some of the story Merle had heard before but some of it was new. Her voice began to quaver when she talked about her relationship with Drew, and her story ended with the day that Merle showed up in the barn. "And you know the rest," she whispered, and the shaking of her body rattled the porch swing beneath them. Merle's arms folded around her and he was surprised when she melted into him. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling, figuring that the way she was acting it was likely the last time he'd ever get the chance to hold her. She began to weep, not hard like before, but piteously as her heart finally rendered and tore. He held her for a long time in the soft lantern light, occasionally rubbing the side of his face in her hair, stroking her back to comfort her. She cried herself out and sagged against him, hanging onto the sides of his shirt with both fists, his solid body shielding her from the outside world. They fit together so perfectly and his warmth soothed her.

Sniffling she switched her face to the dry side of his chest and when she trusted herself to speak her voice was low and strangled. "Drew never did anything to deserve what I'm about to do to him. He never did anything wrong except to love me and love my family and treat me right." Merle's head tilted down and he looked intently at her face. She took a deep shaky breath and looked up at him. "It's always been you Merle. I can't love anyone else. I knew it the minute I saw you again. And now that I'm destined to damn an innocent soul to time in hell, I'm not sure that I myself deserve to live in happiness. How many lives will I ruin Merle? Just Drew's?" she asked. Her body heaved and she finished through gritted teeth. "Or do I run away from this and destroy all three of us?" She started to shake again and he swooped down, his lips capturing hers firmly as he crushed her to him. Beth gasped loudly at the sensation of fireworks tingling every part of her body and she returned his kiss, succumbing to the sweetest experience of her short life. The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever and she couldn't stop herself from letting her hands wander to his shoulders. He parted his mouth and he moaned into her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. Everything else ceased to be as they lost time and place in each other.

When they finally separated he rested his forehead on hers to catch his breath. Her hand reached up to stroke the side of his face and when she looked up she found his eyes dark and unreadable. He stared grimly down at her for an unblinking moment then spoke, his raspy voice barely above a whisper. "I ain't never been so sorry in my life as when I lost you, the sorriest fucking asshole on the planet. Every day since you left I swore I'd give up the rest of my life jest to get one more day with you. Every fucking night that I couldn't find ya I wondered if I should just eat my own gun to end the pain. There was only one thing kept me goin', and that was findin' you. And when I did find you, there you was, livin' with him, and me knowin' he was the best thing for you, knowin' he wuz your family's dream come true." He stopped when she grimaced in pain and he shook her slightly to get her attention, his body was rigid with the effort of keeping himself off of her. "You TELL me. You TELL me what you want. If you want him, you go back tomorrow and we call it good.", he demanded, his fingers digging into her and bruising her. "But if you want me I ain't never lettin' you outta my sight again."

Beth exhaled explosively, baring her teeth and shaking her head against the turmoil that had been torturing her for weeks. She thought about families, her own family, Maggie's little family, Daryl and Carol's family. She wanted hers with only one person. "You Merle," she keened. "I just want you!" Her hands tightened in his shirt and his mouth slanted over hers mercilessly, commandeering hers as she hiccupped for air. She barely registered that she was standing up before he pushed her against the front door, and they managed to find their way to his bedroom together without breaking the kiss. Her fingers were twisting in his short hair when she backed into the foot of the bed, eliciting a groan from him that vibrated through her body. Merle's hand dropped to her ass to knead it roughly then he moved it to pop her fly open and shove her jeans down to her knees. Simultaneously Beth moved her hands underneath his shirt to raise it over his head, temporarily breaking the kiss. She fell back onto the bed and Merle's eyes blazed as he whipped her jeans and panties off. His eyes fell to her parted legs and his bare chest heaved as he toed off his boots and shucked his pants. "Ima fuck ya little girl," he growled, moving like a predator to stalk the prey between her legs and when he reached his quarry he wholeheartedly buried his tongue into her soaking crease.

Beth shrieked and jumped, the sensation of his skilled mouth and the bristles of his beard on her thighs overwhelming the sensitized flesh of her sex. In minutes she was trembling uncontrollably and pleading for release, the words reaching her ears even though she didn't realize that she was making them. Merle savored the taste of her, tonguing her folds then sucking on that sweet pearl of flesh to make her sigh and grind her ass into the bed. He knew that she was ready to blow, but he wasn't going to make it that easy. He gave her a few parting licks then moved up to cover her mouth with his so she could taste her own sweetness. She was panting rapidly and her hands palmed the bunched muscles of his chest, then moved to his chiseled ass to move him closer towards where she needed him most. He resisted her attempt to draw him inside of her and instead jerked her shirt up to expose her breasts. He was going to take his time now. He traced each nipple with his tongue and slowly sucked them into hard points, moaning in pleasure as he released each with a soft pop. He had waited so long for this, to taste her, to feel her, to hear her begging for him. There wasn't a fucking thing in this world that was going to stop him from taking her on his terms.

She whimpered and he snorted softly into her belly where he had been nipping at her softness. This softness was new to him, when last they'd been together they'd both been starving and her hipbones used to poke him. He wanted to investigate further but his cock swelled painfully with her cry and he moved to lie on top of her, mouth slack in concentration. Beth writhed against him, wrapping her slim legs around his and pulling him in. Finally he gave her what she wanted, sliding into her slowly so she could feel his length. Both of them groaned aloud at the pleasure of each other and Merle had to still himself to regain control. He paused and her hips moved against him, fucking his stationary member. Her frustrated grunts grew louder and her eyes opened to look at him pleadingly, why wasn't he moving? Merle leaned forward and rested his elbows on either side of her shoulders, looking into her frantic eyes. "This what you want?" he murmured. He pressed into her firmly, sliding in to the limit. Beth yelped and spread her legs as far as she could, closing her eyes. Please please please. He slowly pulled back then repeated the motion, making her twitch and shake. He paused again and her eyes snapped open. She was almost in tears and she was begging him with her eyes.

He brushed his lips against hers. "You gonna say my name," he said huskily. "Or I'm gonna stop." Beth sobbed against his lips, frustrated and frantic from being teased. He pulled back and slid into her again, faster this time. "Please," cried Beth. She struggled to speed his rhythm by moving her hips against him and was punished when he paused again. Tears ran down the sides of her face. "Please, Merle," she cried in anguish. "I love you so much. Don't make me hurt anymore.".

Merle's lip curled and he finally let himself go, driving into her over and over, burying himself to the hilt into her sweet softness time after time. Jesus Christ, this was the best thing he ever felt, and he claimed her with every stroke. It wasn't long before Beth stilled, her nails digging into his ass screaming "Oh God, Merle!" He felt the spasms and warm rush of fluids around him and he couldn't hold on anymore. As the climax ripped through her Merle drove into her with all his strength, swearing and shuddering until he stiffened, the orgasm hitting him with white hot intensity. "FUCK!, Beth!" he shouted through the strongest orgasm of his life. He dropped his head to her chest, groaning, and her arms went around him to pull him closer. She was never going to let him go.

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OK fans it took me ages, but I did deliver the smut! Make this old lady happy by leaving me a review, and when you get a chance make sure you check out Shelter in Place by Little Miss Can't Be Wrong! And one million and one thanks to the wonderful gneebee who helps me keep going, even if it's at a glacial pace. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW or I'll send my corgis to shed all over your house.