A/N: Woo! Chapter Ten! I must say I am surprised that I made it this far. I am notorious for losing my muse by now! But I just LOVE the Walking Dead so this seems to be easy for me! I keep coming up with new ideas everyday! My muse went away with me! I love it! And this is one of my favorite chapters so far. I hope to get a good response from you guys on it. ;)

Chapter Ten:

Merle watched the woman with interest. The woman had risked her neck for him and he knew exactly why. He'd seen the silent exchange between his brother and Abby. He'd never seen that look on his baby brothers face before, it rattled him.

What do you do with this information, old Merle? His mind was in overdrive, he knew he couldn't stay with the group for long, not with Glenn giving him the stink eye every chance he got. Now, how would he get Daryl to leave with him again. They didn't belong in this cold artic, he didn't know what his brother had been thinking leaving him standing there in the forest shouting after him.

"Where are you going?!" Merle had shouted after him, his look one of desperation.

"Back where I belong!" Daryl had shouted back, hoisting his pack higher on his bare back. He looked just as desperate, but his was different. Daryl had made a huge mistake. And he hoped he wasn't too late.

Merle had felt his insides twist, "I-I can't go wit ya! I tried to kill that black bitch…" he'd paused, his breath coming out in huffs, "damn near killed that Chinese kid.." Tears had been brimming his eyes, threatening to fall. He was going to lose his baby brother.

Daryl had only stared at him for a moment, as if weighing his options. He couldn't stay with Merle, he'd changed since they had last seen one another. He loved his new family, not that he would ever admit it. But he couldn't just abandon them.

"He's Korean." He'd finally spat.

Merle had only been able to make a face, biting his lip in annoyance, "What ever! Don' matter, man, I just can't go wit ya!"

'Ya know, I may be the one walkin' away. But yer the one that's leavin'. Again." Daryl hadn't said anything else to his brother, he'd just walked away leaving Merle to his thought and the sounds of the forest around him.

Merle jerked himself from his thoughts as he watched said brother approach Abby in her work in the yard, he watched in amusement as Daryl slinked around her slowly, a look of longing on his face. Just what had this girl done to the younger Dixon? This wasn't like Daryl. He didn't get soft around anyone. Deciding it was time to throw another log on the fire, Merle headed down the steps toward them.

"Hey, sweet lips!" He called and successfully gained Abby's attention.

She glanced away from Daryl, the smile leaving her lips for a brief moment. Why was it every time she got close to Daryl someone popped in from around the corner to distract them. Daryl seemed to be relaxing a little around her, making more of an appearance and speaking in hushed tones. She liked it. It was a quiet kind of courting, she thought and it made her feel special. It had been two weeks since Merle had arrived and he'd told them that he had holed up in an abandoned cabin just down the road, keeping a close eye on them, but never coming close enough to be seen or heard. He'd ran out of food and thus had been driven to seek them out. So far he seemed docile, not making much conversation but Abby could tell he was planning something, and she just hoped it didn't involve Merle trying to take Daryl from them all.

Daryl seemed to stiffen next to her, "Wha is it?' he asked. Daryl knew how his brothers mind worked and he wanted something. He also wasn't keen on the way he eyed Abby.

Merle held his hands up, stump and all and gave a smile, "Jus' wonderin' how ya'll can work out in this cold!"

Abby tilted her head a little, "Are you cold, Merle? And here I was thinking you were a big bad wolf." She smiled at him in a playful way and Merle grinned back, watching his brother with a sharp eye.

"Old Merle? Nah! He doesn't git cold!" The older man jested but Abby could see the goose bumps rising on his arms.

Glancing to Daryl she looked at the unfinished stack of wood and shrugged, "Could you finish this? While I go find something for 'Old Merle' to wear?" She lifted her chin slightly and Daryl gave a nod of his head, watching her until she made it safely to the porch where she looked down at the ground and then made eye contact with him right before she entered the house.

Merle rubbed his chin as he watched the exchange and then turned to his brother with a smirk, "Ya hit that yet?" He asked in a crude manner causing Daryl to jerk in response.

He looked at Merle with a scowl, "Shit, Merle. It ain't like that." He lied, unwilling to share his true feelings with his blood kin. He didn't need Merle knowing his weakness. And even Daryl didn't want to admit that Abby was worming her way into his heart. He'd never experienced needing to see someone every day before. But he needed to see her every morning at breakfast and every night at dinner.

Merle gave a sly grin and then examined his brother closely, he'd never seen his baby brother so distracted, "So ya don' mind if I take a crack at her, then?" He jested.

Daryl turned a sharp eye on him and let out a low growl, "Ya better stay away from her." He snapped, and then saw exactly what his brother was doing and he regained composure, "She's Rick's sister. Ya don' wanna cause any problems with the group, do ya?"

It was too late, Merle had seen the snarl on his brothers face and knew that he had hit a cord. He grinned a toothy grin and wondered if Abby held the same weakness as Daryl. Was her heart tender toward him as his was to her?

OoooOOOoooo

The house had settled and Abby couldn't sleep, she didn't have watch tonight, but knew that Daryl was on. She wondered if he was cold, sitting out there on the wall.

Moonlight filtered in through the window, casting eerie shadows on her walls and floor. She heard Joshua shift in his bed across her room and smiled. After all the horror that had gone on in this world, she had managed to shelter him from it. Keeping him in this bubble of safety. She knew it would end someday but for now, she was able to keep him safe and happy.

She rolled over, placing her feet on the cool wood floor. She flexed her toes and stood, stretching the kinks out of her neck and back. She silently dressed and put on boots, patting Lily's head as she passed, making her way through the house with as little noise as she could muster. She paused as she heard shuffling when she passed where Maggie and Glenn slept and she smiled to herself as that shuffling stopped when she walked by, and then started back up as soon as she had made it a distance away.

Abby stooped down and loaded another piece of wood into the stove and listened to it crackling for a moment before she snatched an extra coat from the rack and walked outside.

The moonlight bounced off of the snow, creating a dull glow to everything as she walked the short distance to the outer wall. She knew he was staring at her, but he didn't say anything as she climbed the small ladder leading up to him. Daryl had turned his attention back to the empty road by the time she reached him. She didn't say anything at first, just looked out over the road, but after a moment she turned to him, finding that he was staring at her from the corner of his eye.

"Are you cold?"

"No."

She smiled a little, "Liar." She held up the extra jacket, knowing it would fit him. It had been Michael's and the two were almost the same size.

Daryl offered a half smile and then looked ahead, "I don' need it."

Abby scowled at him, "Why are you always so difficult?"

Daryl smirked at her, "Funny here I was thinking' the same about you."

Abby was for once at a loss for words, true, she could be the difficult one. But he wasn't supposed to tell her that. She smiled, "How much longer do you have on watch?"

"Couple hours I suppose, Rick is gonna relieve me."

Abby nodded, "Are you comfortable?"

Daryl looked at her, puzzled for a moment, "Wha?"

"Your bed- er, the sofa?"

He felt his cheeks flame for some reason and nodded, "Yeah."

Abby had somehow managed to scoot much closer to him than he realized and she was leaning in. Daryl felt her hot breath on his cheek and he shuddered. She smelled of lilac. How was that even possible? And why the hell did he know what lilac smelled like?

"My bed is much more comfortable," She told him softly and Daryl blinked several times before he realized what she was implying.

"Y-your bed?" He stammered and felt like a fool, he didn't stutter and especially not over a woman. Even if that woman made his nether regions stir in a way he was unfamiliar with. He'd been aroused before, but never by a woman completely clothed and never in this way. The prospect of him climbing into bed with her sent chills running down his spine.

Abby smiled and made a sound in her throat before she put a surprisingly warm hand on his cheek, "You are cold." She tsked at him and pulled the jacket over to him.

"I-I uh, I'll live." His eyes scanned hers and then looked away swiftly.

Abby felt the sudden urge to lean in an press her lips to his, but she was unsure, had that day a few weeks ago been a fluke? Did he really want to kiss her back? Now is a good a time as any, don't be a pussy, girl. Her mind was shouting at her to make a move because she knew Daryl well enough to know that he wouldn't.

Without thinking after that, and not having to be convinced she leaned in, turning his face toward hers and pressing her lips to his. She felt him stiffen for a moment and then relax into her, responding to the kiss awkwardly. Abby felt a ripple run down her spine as she gently prodded his lips with her tongue. Daryl groaned into her mouth slightly and his hands bunched at her sides, curling in her jacket and pulling her closer to him. Abby nibbled on his lower lip and leaned into him fully.

It had been a long time since she had kissed a man, and she felt rusty. But not as rusty as Daryl acted, she wondered if he had ever kissed a woman before. He sure didn't act like it. But that was okay, she was more than willing to teach him.

Abby ran her hands up his arms, down his chest and slipped them into his jacket, deepening the kiss. She wanted more, but she also didn't want to rush it.

It was minutes, or longer before they broke away from one another and Abby found herself planted on his lap, both of them breathing heavily. She met his gaze and found a small blush creeping up her neck.

She glanced over her shoulder as she heard shuffling feet in the distance and assumed it was Rick coming to relieve Daryl. She smiled softly, nipped at his lower lip once more, and felt him lean into her. She ran a hand over his chest and spoke in a hushed, breathy tone, "Later."

Daryl felt cold the moment she untangled herself from him and stood, but he was relieved to see, even in the darkness that she looked just as flushed as he felt.

"Goodnight." She whispered and then vanished down the ladder, leaving him to try and cool himself off while Rick walked across the snowy driveway.

Abby smiled at Rick as she passed him and knew that he was watching as she left, but she didn't give him a second glance.

She crawled into bed with a smile on her lips. She was almost asleep when heavy footstep aroused her and she saw Daryl's shadow in the moonlight. He hovered at her doorway for a moment before turning and walking back toward the living room.

Abby frowned, this was going to take more work than she thought.

A/N: Whew! That was a fun chapter to write, I sure hope that you guys enjoyed reading it!