A few months passed, and Merle had more or less moved in with Mira. He still had his apartment next door, and that's where his things were, but most nights he ended up in Mira's bed. Even though he still disapproved of the relationship Mira and Merle had shared, Martinez managed to get over his disdain for Merle. After going on runs together and fighting in the arena, they had developed a mutual respect for each other.
Winter came and it was harder to find food for the town. The garden that had thrived in the summer and fall wasn't fruitful when the cold came. There were hunting groups that went out to find food, and the meat was rationed out. But now the cold was finally starting to lift and spring was right around the corner.
Merle came in one night and saw Mira lying on the couch. She looked absolutely miserable. "You okay?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You sure? You've been…down lately."
She didn't say anything.
He picked up her feet and sat down, dropping her feet in his lap. He wasn't used to caring about anyone other than Daryl. And any other time he would've just ignored her. But seeing the girl that had been nothing but smiles since the day he arrived in Woodbury so depressed made him feel like he had to do something. Hell, maybe if he did something good, karma would reward him and he'd find Daryl again.
"Tell me what you're thinking about."
She sighed, "Tomorrow is…would have been Reese's birthday."
The corner of his mouth twitched when she said it. Everything seemed to always circle back to their brothers. In fact, their brothers were the whole reason he and Mira were together now. It had been Daryl that had pushed him to not give up on that roof or when he was escaping Atlanta. It was their brothers that had let them bond in the first place. Merle bit the inside of his bottom lip. What was he supposed to say? Why had he even asked what was wrong in the first place? They had managed to go all this time without discussing feelings, and now they were.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up, "I'm sorry, I'm tired, I'm going to bed."
He nodded.
She kissed his cheek and walked to the bedroom.
Merle ran his hand over his face. He got up and left the apartment; he went outside and walked down the sidewalk. There was a chill in the air, and he could see his breath. He climbed up on the wall next to Martinez. "Everything okay?" Martinez asked.
Merle nodded.
They didn't say anything else. They didn't need to. Merle sat and watched, thinking about Daryl, about Mira. He wondered how much Mira would hate him if she knew what he had done on these runs for the Governor. He wondered how much more Daryl would be ashamed of him if he knew.
Mira woke up in the middle of the night. Her bed was empty. She got up and walked into the other room, Merle wasn't there either, she assumed he went back to his apartment, her being in a bad mood probably made him leave. She couldn't help it though, and she knew he understood. After all, he had lost his brother too, granted, his wasn't dead, but it's not like Merle knew where he was.
She went into the kitchen and drank a glass of water before going back to bed.
When morning came, she felt even worse than she had the night before. Maybe it would get easier with time, but for now, losing Reese killed her inside. She walked into the infirmary and seen that Milton was already there, "Good morning," he told her.
She forced a smile for him, "You staying?" she asked.
He shook his head slightly, "I have a few things I need to do. I'll be back in a few hours."
She nodded, "Okay."
Merle started his day with a run for the Governor. They tracked down a helicopter crash in the woods, and even though there were survivors, they knew the men wouldn't make it. Merle also found an old 'friend' hiding in the bushes, spying.
After he left Michonne and Andrea with the Governor, Merle went to find Mira. He knocked on her apartment door, "It's open," he heard her call. He walked in and seen her sitting cross-legged on the couch, a bowl of cereal in her hands.
"Where'd you get milk?" he asked.
"It's powdered." He frowned. He had wanted to tell her that he had news of his brother, but seeing her face made him think otherwise. "How was the run?"
He shrugged, "Found a couple of survivors."
He watched her lips twitch.
"If you're still upset about Reese, I'll go," he said the words slowly, not sure how she would react. He still wasn't use to her sudden changes of behavior.
She shook her head, "I'm fine."