IN WHICH - The last thing that Hope Mikaelson expected when she came out of Malivore was to still be alive, the second last thing she expected was to be disowned by most of her living family, and the final last thing she expected was some ancient be...
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CHAPTER 5
THIRD PERSON POV
There were a lot of ways Merle saw the whole Greene Family and Mikaelson-Dixon reunion going. It included hugs and cheers, some light bantering, and of course some of Patricia's, maybe her name was Petunia... he didn't care to know, cooking. That woman made a nice home-cooked meal.
Of course, that didn't happen. They had driven an old beat-up Ford back to the Greene Farm, with Daryl, Hope, and Merle sitting in the bed of the single cab truck. T-Dog and Glenn rode in the truck itself, while Dale stayed at the camper to hold it down in case the kid showed back up.
Hope had propelled herself out of the moving truck the second it rolled to a stop, admittedly acting as calm as he had ever seen her. Which was saying something because Hope Mikaelson was anything but calm. Especially when even Merle could smell the magic tainted blood that filled the air. And outside of Hope only one other person in this world was a witch. Or warlock, whatever the fuck you called them.
Said calmness had lasted mere seconds, as before anyone could react Hope had body-slammed Shane Walsh right off the porch, through the railing, that Merle had just reinstalled after Hope had body-slammed Jimmy off of it a couple of days ago.
There weren't many words that were exchanged as the two began fighting. Merle would have jumped in, had he cared the slightest bit about the asshole cop. And seeing as Merle was the only one that could partially stop a raging Hope, the surrounding Greene's and the group his brother made home with just stood around yelling.
Merle, while starving to death, was thoroughly enjoying the fight. More specifically he was thoroughly enjoying watching Hope kick ass. If he didn't look at her like a daughter slash younger sister he would have totally called dibs on her.
But again, someone had to ruin his day a second time. Daryl, his idiot younger brother who was honestly too much of a goody-two-shoes, stepped into the fight, yelling and cussing, and pried Hope up by the nape of her neck.
Hope, being the super cute and deadly little spitfire she was spun on Daryl like she was planning on ripping him in two. Which she definitely was. But she froze when they made eye contact. Merle did not like that one bit.
"Okay, okay, fun times up. Put my girl down Darlina." Merle moved forward, not even bothering to cover his scowl, "I'm sure she had a perfectly justifiable reason to fuck up Shane, ain't that right Witchy?"
"She did have a perfectly justifiable reason, however, I do not condone violence on my property. Which both of you know. It was an accident, Hope, and you can't punish a man for an accident."
Hershel Greene was an angel, something that Merle and everyone around them would agree on as time went by. Especially because as time went on he would be one of five men who wouldn't cower back at the sight of her snarling face. The very face that promised death. Which she now turned on Hershel.
"No, you're right, I can't punish a man for an accident," She pauses, ignoring the raised eyebrow that Merle shoots her, "But I can rip out his liver over and over until he dies from either blood poisoning or shock."
She lunges at Shane, who scrambles back, but Daryl snatches her by her hair this time, making her stumble back into him.
Had Merle not been a vampire he wouldn't have heard the low words his brother whispered in the Tribrid's ear, but he was a vampire. A vampire that might have to get rid of his own brother soon, because that was his sire.
"Calm down princess, curly-top with a god-complex will still be alive after the old man finishes talking," Daryl whispered in her ear, completely uncharacteristic. Though her reaction was also uncharacteristic because she felt the warmth of a blush dancing across her cheeks.
Jerking herself out of Daryl's grip, she crosses her arms violently, in an attempt to keep them from accidentally ripping out Shane's heart. She glares up at Hershel, giving him her full attention, and promptly ignores the horrified looks from everyone around her. Well, everyone excluding the Greenes.
"Continue. I get my patience from my father, and it's always been lacking." She snapped, though Hershel simply rolled his eyes and frowned down at her.
Daryl smirked, looking off to the side, only to be met with Merle glaring at the side of his face with dark veins moving underneath his eyes. While normally Daryl would have been freaked-the-fuck out over that, he simply raised an eyebrow and looked away.
"I know that you would like to settle the score with Shane, as he did shoot Pedro," Hope bared her teeth, her nails digging into her biceps so deep that blood begins to ooze out the wounds, "But he also shot his stepson. And he values family just like you do. He didn't intentionally shoot Pedro, and he didn't intentionally shoot his stepson. If he did, do you think that boy's daddy would have let him live?"
Hope bit back the smartass retort that wanted to slip out of her lips, and the urge to kill Shane as it amplified, and instead took a deep calming breath. Said breath filled her nose with magic-tainted blood, and the urge amplified even more.
"I'll let him live for now Hershel. But I want him off the fucking property until we're done fixing this Carl boy and Pedro. Because if anything goes wrong, I'll fucking slaughter him and leave him for the walkers to pick clean, but I won't disrespect you by doing it on your land."
Hershel hummed, looking her up and down slowly, before giving a singular nod, "That will work. I'll have one of his men take him back to where they are on the road and wait for news. In the meantime, I have two ten-year-old boys on the brink of death and I absolutely don't have the means for healing them."
