3 days ago, Merle's perspective…

"Daryl? Where'd ya go?" I call out as I walk into the apartment that me, my brother and a drug dealer I work with share… but there's no sign of him.

I continue to look around, stumbling across an old pic of me and Evie… I could've sworn the other day that I saw a mini version of her earlier but with my eyes.

And if I ever do approach her, I've got to be cautious… she might not even know that I'm alive or might not be looking for her biological father.

And she might have a stepfather that loves her like she's his own child, I don't want to rip her life apart… but I need to know.

I need to know if this girl's my little daughter…

Present time…

Harper felt like she needed air so she got cleaned up, dressed, used makeup to hide the bruises and headed out with Rick… although the last part wasn't exactly her choice.

"Dad? I would've come back home before you know it." Harper said, having gotten used to her crutches and braced left ankle… but Rick wasn't used to his daughter's independent nature and felt like she needed to act more like a kid.

Rick was about to voice that when a truck stopped at the curb and he gently nudged Harper behind him for her protection, the raven haired girl in the driver's seat noticing it.

"Sorry… just got a bit turned around, not too familiar with this area." The girl said after opening the driver's door.

"Where you from, miss?" Rick asked.

"Louisiana… deep down in the swamps area." The girl answered.

"I-85 should put you back on the track. From there, turn onto I-65 and then to I-10." Rick responded.

"Thank you. God I hate when I leave home, I know my way around swamps but not the city." The girl replied.

"Kind of the reverse here, haven't been out of the city too much." Harper said, the girl seeing a few aged scars on the left side of the young teen's head.

"Scars, they usually tell a pretty good story." The girl responded.

"Sometimes they do. Name's Harper." Harper replied, extending her right hand and the girl shaking it.

"Amber." Amber said, before pulling up the left side of her jeans, Harper and Rick seeing a bite mark scar. "And how is for a scar?"

"Alligator teeth, right?" Rick asked.

"Nope, a wild pig. If it was gator, I'll more likely be dead." Amber explained.

"Their jaws are stronger than bear traps." Harper said, Amber nodding in agreement before readjusting her jeans.

"I'm gonna get back on the road, be safe, y'all." Amber responded before driving away and Harper hearing the two way radio going off.

"Grimes." Rick said.

"Rick, it's Shane, there's some kind of brawl out near the high school." Shane replied.

"Damn it. Keep them calm, I've got Harper with me and I don't want to leave her alone back at the house." Rick said before he took Harper to the patrol car.

When they reached the high school, Rick saw the look on Harper's face when she saw Merle fighting with his dealer.

"Stay in this car, do not move." Rick said, attempting to get out… but Harper saw the pistol in Merle's hand and grabbed the Revolver off the dashboard, getting out and aiming it at Merle.

"Drop it, prick!" Harper yelled, Merle seeing her and putting the gun down. "You, drop the meth." She said to the dealer, who turned angry and grabbed Shane, putting the gun to his head.

"I ain't going back to jail because of some bitch! Merle, shoot her!" The dealer growled before there was a loud sharp whistle and the dealer howled in pain as two dogs latched onto the back of his legs.

Shane flipped him onto the concrete as the dogs let go and handcuffed him, Rick getting Harper to put the Revolver down and seeing that she wasn't seeing the brawl clearly but was reliving a flashback to how her stepfather would abuse her.

Amber got out and got Shadow and Banjo back to the truck before seeing Rick and Harper hugging.

"Shh… it's okay, kiddo. It's okay." Rick whispered, Amber seeing the look in Merle's eyes as he watched Harper.

"What's that look for?" Amber asked.

"She's just like her mother… I had a feeling I left more than an old girlfriend behind." Merle answered quietly.

"You were in the military?" Amber asked.

"Last time I left was about 14 years ago… Eve encouraged me to." Merle answered.

"And you're sure that Harper is your daughter?" Amber questioned.

"She's about the right age… thing is if she was adopted by sheriff Grimes, what happened to Evie?" Merle said quietly.

"Maybe ask them later, when she's calmed down." Amber said.

It was at the police station after Harper signed her statement of the incident that she stood back up on her crutches and headed outside to clear her mind… only to jump slightly when she saw Merle.

"Scared the hell outta me." Harper replied.

"Sorry… you look a lot like your mom." Merle said, Harper taken aback by that and looking at him.

"How did you know her?" Harper asked.

"She never mentioned anything about who your biological father is?" Merle responded.

"Just that he was a military man, that they loved each other… and that he never came back so I thought he had died in the line of fire." Harper explained before she saw Amber, Shadow and Banjo.

But just as she was about to ask, she saw Rick.

"Come on, kiddo… we're headed back home." Rick said, Harper following him.

At the Grimes house, Rick shut the car off and Harper looked at him.

"You want to know, don't you? It's okay if you want to, sweetheart." Rick responded as they unbuckled and hugged.

"I'll always see you as my dad… you and Mom took me in when I had nowhere else to go. But I need to know if he's my biological father… and why he didn't look for me." Harper said before they let go.

When they were in the house, Lori looked up from the kitchen and smiled before walking over, Lori and Harper hugging.

Harper knew that they'd always be her family.