I glanced at Merle. Stupid bastard got himself cuffed to the roof of the building. I was stupid enough to stay with the fucker. I watched as he struggled to get his hand free. Sure he did plenty for me and I considered him the older brother I never had. I moved from the north to the south when I was younger. Moved right next door to them. They felt sorry for me so the Dixon brothers took me under their wings. I easily became apart of their family. What they had for a family anyways. They may have been older than me but they had my back. Back then I was just little Katrina who they felt sorry for. Now we have a bond that can't be broke. In this new world or rather the end of the world they were the only family I had left. My mom gave her life up so I'd be safe and make it out alive. My so called father I didn't give a damn where he was at, the same could be said for my brother. They were nothing to me. Merle and Daryl did more for me then my own brother or father for that matter.

"What the Fuck Kat? You gonna sit there or fucking help me?" Merle yelled pulling on his cuffed arm. "You should've left with them."

"And leave the wonder that is you behind alone? Daryl wouldn't like that. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." I looked over at him. "Not that there's much to live for." I mumbled. There was no way I was going anywhere without him.

"What my princess bitch gone soft? What's the little fag have I don't?" I just shrugged.

"Doesn't matter now does it? I'm stick up here with your stupid ass." I shot back.

"I never made you stay here ya pussy bitch."

"You know you need me, if you wanna keep that hand of yours." I smirked getting up. "I think you're the pussy bitch around here. I didn't get my ass cuffed to the building now did I?" I got up looking over the side seeing way to many walkers, thanks in part to Merle's dumb ass.

"Fuck you pansy ass." I smirked turning around.

"I know you want to Merle. It just ain't gonna happen." I squatted down in front of him pulling a bobby pin outta my hair. "I could let your ass free now, but you deserve being cuffed." He licked his lips, looking at me like I was a piece of damn meat. "So fucking gross." I snapped my head hearing the door clanging. "I would make your ass beg but we don't have time for that shit." I jimmied the cuff on his hand open.

"For fucks sake why the hell didn't you do that sooner?" He rubbed at his bloody wrist.

"I was busy working on my nice little tan I got going." The noise of the door banging got louder and we split. We got to a ladder going down it. We ran through the building coming across a few walkers. We either stabbed them in the head or chopped their damn heads in half. We got to the alley trying to come up with a plan to make it out alive. We checked out the back side of the alley seeing it was the safer route to go. We kept to the alleys killing what walkers we had to. Walkers were starting to come from every where. Thankfully we came across a black 75 Chevy short bed pickup. I quickly got to work hot wiring it after seeing the keys were no where to be found. Merle watched my back during the process. It started up and I slammed the hood down.

"You do make a fan-fucking-tastic couple. You and my pansy ass of a baby brother."

"Oh shut up and get in and lets go." And he wanted me to be in love with his racist ass. If he kept his damn mouth shut we wouldn't have been on the roof stuck like sitting ducks. "You lost prissy boy?"

"Fuck you kitty Kat."

"Fucking christ! You just wanna screw right here and get it over with?" I yelled all dramatic.

"Now, now baby girl you know that's not how I play." He teased reaching over giving my knee a light squeeze.

"Then lets get back to the others." I looked out the window taking a deep breath.

"You only want my baby brother." Merle spoke soft.

"So what Merle. I'm a still human and I'm a girl. I've loved your brother for years. I can't help it. Is it so wrong to find some kind of happiness in this dying world?"

"Well of course not but why that redneck hillbilly? He didn't even like you. He wanted nothing to do with you when you first show up. It was me for the first few months."

"Because he didn't treat me like his little kid sister. You did. Can we just drop this?" I hated to talk about my emotions. I know he did too. That was one of the many reason we got along so well. For my answer he didn't reply. We sat in silence as he drove. I was use to the silence by now. I'd grew to enjoy it. The second Merle put the truck in park I jumped out rushing to find Daryl.

"You wont find him Kat." I looked up at Dale who stood guard on top of his RV. "He left with Rick to go back and get you and Merle." I didn't get the chance to speak up before Merle.

"That no good dirty mother fucking pansy ass hick. I'm gonna ring his god damn neck." Merle cursed more under his breath heading back to the pick up.

"Merle it does you no good running back there. You'll stay the fuck here and wait for them to show up. Daryl knows what the fuck he is doing out there." He sent me a glare and headed off.

"Someone gonna go after him?" Andrea asked looking mostly at me.

"He needs time to relax and cool off. It would do me no good to chase after him now. You really need to mind your business Andrea." I snapped walking off. Shane tried to stop me for who knows what reason. I pushed past him stalking off. I walked through the woods keeping an eye out in case any walkers were around. I heard a bunch of leaves rustling around. I pulled my .9mm handgun out getting it ready to shoot. I walked up to see a walker was on top of Merle. He was trying to hold it off. It kept trying to bite and claw him. I put my gun away pulling out my knife. I ran up stabbing it in the head twisting the knife around. It fell dead on top of Merle. I pulled my knife out putting that way as well. Merle pushed the rotting corpse off of him.

"I didn't need help from a baby bitch like you." He turned to walk off.

"Yea well next time I'll let the thing bite you and shoot you in the damn head myself." I yelled chasing after him.

"You do that and see what my oh so dreamy brother has to say." It was a mocking tone he was using with me. I couldn't help it. My hand connected with his cheek. He looked at me shock wrote on his face. He gripped my wrist pulling me closer our faces mere inches apart. I looked up at his eyes, took a glance at his lips. It was only a split second and my lips were against his. Another second later our lips were moving in a perfect rhythm. I pulled away wanting to be pissed at him. But I wasn't. I wiped my mouth off wiggling my way out of his grip and took off. I found myself sitting on the rocks looking out over the water. Here I was in love with Daryl, but the kiss with Merle there was something there. You couldn't deny that. I looked down at the rocks. I sighed seeing that I was covered in walker blood and had little brain pieces on me but frankly I really didn't give a shit. "I didn't mean to upset you Kat." I shook my head.

"You didn't upset me, you made me open my eyes. For all I know I'm chasing after someone that doesn't have the same feelings for me as I do for him. I can't keep chasing after him when I have to fight for my life. It's not worth it."

"Now where's the Kat I know? Never giving up on herself or what she believes in. Don't you think it should be up to Daryl?" I kept myself from laughing.

"I'm not putting myself out there. Not when I'm stuck with him for the rest of my life. For now and maybe forever he doesn't need to know. But right now I can't help but have feelings for your redneck ass." He smirked. Our talk got cut short as we heard screaming and gunshots. We took off on a dead run seeing that walkers were taking over the camp. I whipped out my knife going right into slaying as many as I could. I found myself tripping over a log scrambling on my hands and feet backwards as the walker came after me. My knife had went flying when I fell. I reached for my gun and it wasn't there either. My back hit a tree. Just as the walker went to bite an arrow poked through his head and the walker slumped on me. I pushed it off pulling the arrow out. I handed it off to Daryl. He seemed none to pleased with me. He looked me over the best he could. "He didn't get me."

"Came damn close." He turned walking off. I sighed following behind him. All the walkers that attacked had been killed. Andrea was crying holding onto Amy. I walked off to the tent I shared with Daryl and Merle. Tonight was going to be interesting. I had these new feelings for Merle and Daryl wasn't even talking to me. I stripped my bloody, gore covered clothes off and put clean ones on. I curled up in my make shift bed pulling the blanket I had up around me. I closed my eyes once I heard the Dixon brothers coming.

"Daryl relax."

"Don't you fucking tell me to relax Merle. I come back from hunting to find that some douche had cuffed my brother to the roof of a building and" That's when it went quiet.

"And what baby brother?"

"It doesn't matter." I heard the zipper on the tent. I stayed still making him think I was sleeping. "Losing Merle is one thing, but losing you Kat it's different." He placed his hand on my arm. "I need you. I do." I so badly wanted to pull him into a hug and never let go. "I was scared when they told me you stayed with Merle. My thoughts were on you, I had to get to you, save you. I guess what I'm getting at is that at some point growing up, I fell for you. I Daryl Dixon love you Katrina Burns. Crazy isn't it?" He said no more. Instead he laid down putting an arm around me. I smiled rolling over curling into him. I woke up alone. I sighed getting up. I slipped my shoes on. I didn't really give a damn what I looked like. It just didn't matter anymore. I walked seeing they were getting the walkers in a pile to burn as the others were being put separately to be buried. I looked through the woods for my knife and gun. I easily found my gun under some sticks.

"Where the fuck is it?" I asked myself out loud looking everywhere for my knife.

"I found it this morning. I cleaned it up for ya." I took my knife from Daryl.

"Thanks. Look about yesterday."

"I talked to Merle and I get why you did it. Just don't make it a habit."

"Well if that ass of a brother of yours would stop getting himself in trouble I wouldn't have to."

"Why save him for anyways?"

"He's like family to me just like you are. We better get back to the others."

"Uh yea everyone plans on taking off to the CDC. Ricks orders and all."

"He's not that bad of a guy Daryl."

"The fuck he's not. He cuffed my brother to a building. Left you behind without a fight. And you defend him?" He started to pace, his crossbow on his back.

"Their wasn't time for anyone to reason with anyone. You know damn well how stubborn I am when I wanna be. I did what I thought was right. You can be pissed all you want over that, I'm done with it." I went to walk around him but he caught my hand.

"I'm not pissed that you stayed to help Merle out. I'm pissed you put that racist son of a bitch before me." I burrowed my eyebrows looking at him.

"I did what I did for you too. I knew how upset you would be if I didn't come back with Merle. And with us both gone I thought it would make you come quicker. Not that I needed a hero or anything." I looked at the ground feeling weak. I hated feeling weak.

"Well I did come if you would've stayed put."

"And let the fucking dead eat me. I don't fucking thing so. You are out of your mind Daryl. But I'm fine. Life goes on and love is a crazy thing." I turned to walk off but Daryl still had my hand in his. He pulled me back his free hand resting on my hip.

"You heard that?" He asked nervous. He was cute when he was nervous. Than again he was cute all the time.

"Every last word. And please don't make me tell you my feelings. Because I'm confused on who I want."

"What are you getting at? I'm gonna kill Glenn." He went to run off but I kept a tight grip on his hand.

"I never said it was Glenn. Try someone closer to you and me for that matter."

"Don't you dare fucking tell me it's Merle." The anger evident in his voice.

"Then I wont. Just know it's up to me on who I want Daryl." He scoffed breaking the hold our hands had. He paced in front of me.

"What about our past Kat? Doesn't that night mean anything to you?" I slowly shook my head no. "What!?"

"It would've meant something if we didn't get wasted off our asses before we hooked up. I can't deny the connection we have but I need to sort my feelings out first." That night was a fun one. One of the last nights we had before the zombie apocalypse. The two of us took off to camp, some food and booze in tow. We had a fire and just got done with s'mores. We sat around joking and drinking. I was pretty much wasted. I stumbled falling on top of him. Things only went from there. We spent the night having sex. I remembered pieces of it. I remember walking up in the morning my head killing me, Daryl passed out on top of me.

"What the fuck ever Kat." I sighed watching him storm off. I slowly walked back to camp.

"Why the fuck do you gotta ruin everything you ass?" I heard Daryl yell. I walked to them seeing Merle held a smirk in place.

"Because you're my baby brother. It's my god damn job." I cringed as Daryl's fist connected with Merle's face. Merle lunged at Daryl. They started to wrestle around on the ground throwing punches. I sighed standing back watching.

"You gonna stop them?" I looked up to see Dale.

"No. They need to get this fight outta there system or they will keep going at it. I'm the cause of the fight so it would only make them fight more." I turned my attention back to the fighting brothers. You could hear them yelling and cursing at one another. It wasn't much longer when Rick and Shane came running pulling them apart. I turned on my heel and walked off. I went and got cleaned up. I got back to the group seeing that everything was put away and everyone was ready to head out. I could either ride with Daryl in his truck or ride on the back of Merle's bike. I walked around the truck getting in. The first few minutes were quiet.

"That night, I thought it was just gonna be friends having a camp out like we did most weekends. Do I regret getting drunk and sleeping with you?" I could tell at this point I had his attention. "No. It was something I wanted for awhile. But you never did relationships, so I wasn't going to push. You don't do feelings so I couldn't talk to you about it. So when I was able to be with you fully I loved it but I was drunk and I can't remember it all. That's why it doesn't mean more to me."

"I didn't set out that night to sleep with you. That was the last thing on my mind. But I don't take it back. That night I realized that I loved you and that I had been in love with you for years. Then you come with this bs that you have feelings for my brother too. That fucking hurts Kat."

"It's not like I fucking asked to get feelings for him. It's been you for years. I just need time and I need you to understand that."

"Yea because I'm just that understanding." Sarcim dripping from his voice. "You know me Kat."

"I never said I didn't." I got out of the truck as everyone stopped. Daryl was starting to get on my last nerve.

"What's going on?" I asked walking up to the group.

"Jim, he's not gonna make it much longer." Everyone wanted to argue what we should do with him. And it was soon clear that we were to do as Jim wanted. To be left on the side of the road. I didn't want him to suffer more then he had too. Who were we to make him keep going on when he didn't want to. He got placed by a tree and we all took one last look and took off. The ride with Daryl gone quiet. And for once I was going stir crazy. I didn't know if I should look past my feelings for Merle and be with Daryl or say the hell with both of them. I don't even know how long we rode in silence for. But Daryl was the one to break it first.

"Remember that time Merle chased you around with a dead squirrel?"

"How could I forget that. I had just moved in. I was scared of you and him. I'm playing out in the yard and here comes your brother. All I see is a bloody rodent and he's gonna throw it on me. I take off on a dead run screaming on the verge of tears. It seemed like hours I was running from him. Here you are dying with laughter on the ground. I could've killed you both that day."

"I didn't know you were scared of us. I always thought you hated us."

"That why you kept your distance?"

"Yea. I didn't need someone else making fun of my redneck ways. Plus you're a girl and I can't punch you. Why were you scared of us?"

"Every time I would see you and Merle. You would be fighting each other or you would have some dead animal. You were just different from what I was use to at that age. I was always told guys like you were bad news and serial killers. And with how you killed animals. Nuh-uh I wanted no part of it."

"You think different know huh?"

"The second I became friends with Merle I knew you guys wouldn't hurt me. I was safe around you guys. You both did so much for me. Now I get why no guys ever wanted to date me once they knew I was friends with you and Merle. They wanted to keep body parts." We both laughed over that. Daryl stopped his truck and we got out. I looked around seeing all the dead bodies. We walked to the door of the CDC stepping over or around them all as we went. Rick freaked out as the rest of us tried to get him to leave. There was no one here, we had to go before it got dark. I stopped in my tracks like everyone else when we saw light. We all rushed in side the building. We were told that the doors wouldn't open again once they shut. We all quickly got our stuff. The doors closed and got locked. We were introduced to Jenner and shown to our rooms. We found out that their was hot water and that's all it took for everyone to run to theirs rooms. I stood under the scolding hot water, it was turning my skin red but it felt so nice. I stood their a few moments letting the water wash over me. I wrapped a towel around me walking into my room to dry off and get dressed in some clean clothes. I met up with everyone else sitting down to eat. I was between Daryl and Merle and I think I was the only that was uncomfortable. I ate in silence ignoring everything around me. I know they let Carl have some wine and he didn't like it. Glenn was going a bit over board with it but so was everyone else. Well I wasn't. I had a few glasses but that was about it. I finished my stuff and got up leaving the table. I explored what I could. I saw that Carol was with Sophia and Carl in the game room. I smiled walking back to my room. It was nice to have my own room away from Daryl and Merle. Not that sharing a tent or anything bothered me. But I needed my space to figure things out with them. For years I wanted to hear Daryl say he loved me. But I didn't wanna have feelings for Merle when Daryl confessed his love. I jumped some when there was a knock on the door. I was ready to rip a new one into Daryl. He knew to leave me alone and not push, except when I pulled the door open Merle stood there a smirk in place. "What do you want Merle?" I leaned against the door frame my arms crossed over my chest.

"Don't be like that princess." I could smell the booze on his breath. He had alittle to much to drink.

"Like what?" His hand caressed my cheek.

"So stuck up and moody. You need a good lay. I'll treat you to a real treat. One my pansy dick of a baby brother can't." I pushed his hand off my face. He let it bump into my breasts on accident. I'd let that go for now anyways.

"You do make me sick at times Merle." I tried to shut the door but he used his weight keeping the door open. He pulled me into him his hands going straight to my ass. I pushed away from him punching him. "Fuck off Merle." I slammed the door shut in his face. I sighed running my hands over my face, I let them run through my auburn hair. There was no way I could sleep with Merle. Not when it was the booze that was talking. I had drunken sex with Daryl, and I don't remember much. Though I suppose things would've been different with Merle. But I couldn't do that. I sighed sitting on the bed. I wanted to run to Daryl and let him keep me safe. Safe from what? I let a small chuckle out. Merle was drunk not some rapist. I was always safe from Merle no matter what.

I got up after what seemed like a very unrestful night of sleep I've had in months. I rubbed my face walking out of my room finding everyone getting ready for breakfast. The Dixon's were no where in sight. I sighed to myself putting a fake smile on my face. Sitting down. The second I took a bite in they walked. They took a seat by me, one on each side. I really couldn't have space with them around. I would have to talk to Merle later about giving him the black eye. Once we finished off breakfast we followed Jenner to the lab. He explained his research to us. It was interesting to the say the least. I zoned out as I looked at Daryl and Merle. How was I suppose to pick between them? I jumped when Daryl started in. I looked to see what was going on and we were locked in. Daryl, Merle and Shane where hitting things against the door trying to get them to open. I was in panic and the most I knew was that we had a half hour to live and we couldn't get out. It seemed like forever but Rick was able to convince Jenner to open the doors. I took off running the second the door was open to get my shit and get out of here. I wanted to live even if the world was filled with walkers. Everyone was tying to break the window but no one could. I noticed that Dale, Andrea and Jacqui were no where in sight.

"Rick the day you should up. I found this in your clothes when I washed them." I looked to see what Carol had. Here she had a hand grenade. Rick yelled for us to take cover. I ran hiding Daryl coming straight to me shielding me with his own body. I smiled hearing the grenade go off. We all took off running outside. Daryl had a hold of my hand as we ran to his truck. That's when I knew. I knew all along. I got into his truck seeing Andrea and Dale run out. Daryl pulled me down covering me as CDC blew sky high. I looked up at him.

"It's you, always has been you." I pulled his lips to mine. The kiss was short lived as we left this place behind ready to move on to the next part of our plan. I sat by him my hand resting on his leg. His arm rested on the back of the seat. I should have never doubted myself. Merle? I could never be with him. That would be crossing the line. He was just like my older brother. Daryl was never like that, he was more my best friend. It was like that years before I ever had a crush on him. I was always safe with Daryl but it felt nice to know that he felt the same way I did about him. I'd take his mood swings, his redneck ways none of it bothered me. I loved him for him and that's what counted. I wasn't sure what each day brought but I was safe with Daryl and that's the only security I needed.

A/N: Thanks a ton from LoopyLou1990 for all the help. I hope everyone enjoyed this.