Reason Enough

The moment they walked out of the woods and came face to face with some of the group, Michelle got the feeling that something was wrong and the look on her father's face as he saw them confirmed it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Daryl raging at the dead one that had made a snack out of the deer they'd been tracking for the past few hours. It hadn't been the most successful hunt - mainly her fault due to her lack of prior experience - and, even if he hadn't said anything to that effect, it had been quite obvious he was frustrated with the result. If he'd gone alone, he would have likely returned with more than just a dozen scrawny squirrels.

As he asked the others if they thought the meat might still be edible if they cut off the gnawed on parts, she scanned those standing in front of them, there was a man she didn't know there but most importantly, there was something in all their eyes, something similar to the look her dad had. It wasn't just fear from one of the geeks finding its way near camp, it was something else, something aimed at Daryl specifically, and not the usual looks of uncertainty or disdain they tended to have for him.

Sliding over to her father's side, she silently questioned him with nothing more than a concerned frown. He was just about to answer when the geek's head began moving again near her feet, making both them jump in surprised horror. Before her hand could even wrap around the handle of her machete, Daryl had shot a bolt into the awful thing. With a hand on her heart, she gave him a quick nod as a quiet thank you to which he responded in the same way, before disparaging the others for not going straight of the dead one's brain. It was something they'd only just discovered recently, but still one would have thought it was have stuck in everyone's mind.

As Daryl walked away from them, heading toward camp, Michelle felt her father's hand on her shoulder, keeping her from following the others as they fell into step. Whatever he had to say, he hadn't wanted Daryl to hear it.

"Merle didn't make it back from Atlanta."

The words tumbled upon her like so many bricks, her mouth falling open and eyes widening behind her glasses. Now the apprehensive looks they'd all been shooting the younger Dixon made sense, announcing to Daryl that his brother was dead was going to be a terrible thing to have to do. Especially given his fiery temper. Her heart sank as his voice resounded, calling his brother's name. She could barely see the top of his head from here and as Shane began to speak, she took off running toward camp before John could add anything, leaving him shaking his head before hurrying to follow. That news was not going to go over well coming from anyone, but coming from Shane, it might somehow be even worst than it had to.

She joined up with the rest of them just as those squinty blue eyes of his looked around the crowd, awaiting for them to confirm what he feared. Even from this far, Michelle could see fissures forming inside those thick walls he kept up at all times. This wasn't fair. Even with her strong dislike for Merle, especially after the events that transpired two nights prior, the idea of him dying in Atlanta was heartbreaking; he was Daryl's family and she, of all people, knew just how hard it was to lose a sibling.

"He dead?"

Her breath got caught in her throat as Shane paused before answering the question. But when he finally did, what he said was not what she'd been expecting. She shot a glance over to her father, his face red from the run and unable to speak as he panted to catch his breath. Daryl was obviously just as confused as she was, demanding clarification and rising his voice in the process which lead the newcomer to step forward, explaining what had happened... They left him there!

She couldn't blame Daryl for his reaction, yelling that man's face; hell, she felt like yelling at him herself. Who the hell was he to make those sort of life or death decisions anyhow? Before she could even open her mouth though, things took a turn for the worst with Daryl getting knocked to the ground by Shane after he'd thrown their squirrels at the man. They all watched horrified as Daryl drew his knife, Michelle and John not even realizing they'd shouted out his name in unison until he glanced their way. That split second of distraction was enough for Shane to grab him in a headlock, that man Rick getting in his face as he struggled for air.

"Shane! Let him go!" She shouted, eyes shooting daggers at him and her hand moving to the machete on her hip without so much as a thought. When he responded that he thought it was best if he didn't, her fingers closed on the handle ready to pull it out and scare him into letting go until a large, strong hand closed on her wrist, looking up she met her father's worried eyes. His expression made her release her hold on the handle, she could tell that he wanted to help Daryl but he was also worried that if she stepped forward, weapon raised, she'd just be next in line for a choke hold of her own. Her gaze moved down at the ground, feeling both ashamed for worrying him as well as for not standing up for the man who had helped keep them alive this far.

She kept her eyes down, listening to T-Dog explaining how it was partially his fault that Merle hadn't made it back, how he'd dropped the key to the handcuffs down a drain pipe. But, there was one small silver lining to that part of the story, he'd been able to chain and padlock the door to the roof so, the dead ones would not be able to reach the older Dixon. There was some hope there, at least, not much, but some, enough to make her look up from the dirt and up to Daryl's face. The quick glance she got of him wiping away tears from his eyes did nothing to ease the shame she felt, not only for not stepping forward to help but for wishing horrible things onto his brother after the other night. They'd been justified then, but that didn't make now any easier.

"...Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him," Daryl struggled to say and she wasn't sure if it was a result of the choke hold that made his voice break like that, or simply the roller coaster of emotions he'd just been on. Regardless of which, one thing was certain in her mind, he wasn't going to go into Atlanta alone. Quickly it became clear that they weren't going to be alone on the rescue mission; the newcomer, Rick, was planning to go back as well. And as the man went to change, in Lori and Carl's tent for some reason that she would not put together until later, she walked over to Daryl who was pacing like a tiger in a cage.

"I won't use it because it will draw the dead ones to us, but I'd still like to carry the gun I've been training with, if that's okay with you?"

Either it was her voice or the question, but something seemed to take him surprise as he watched her, brows coming together in a confused frown for a moment before he finally spoke.

"You're comin'?"

"And so am I."

This time she was the one to jump. Her father's arrival right behind her was not something she'd expected, especially not him claiming to come along. She turned her back to Daryl in order to face him, tilting her head back to catch his eyes as she did. Sometimes she hated being this short next to him, and not just because it reminded her of the fact she took that characteristic from her mother, but also because it made her feel still like a child next to him.

"Dad, you can't," she argued, shaking her head in disbelief that he would even suggest such a thing. "Atlanta's going to be crawling with geeks and..."

"Exactly," he interrupted, the two of them staring down the other. Stubbornness, that was definitely something she had inherited from her father. When both of them decided they were right, it was nearly impossible to convince them to the contrary which had lead to many an argument in the past and would likely lead to many more in the future. "There'll be dead ones everywhere and that's why I'm going. I'm not gonna just sit by while you go and risk your lives!"

"Dad," she sighed in frustration, passing her hands in her hair as she did. "I know you can take down a few of those things, and I know you just want to protect me, but you get breathless climbing up the hill from the quarry." She saw he was just about to start taking again, his mouth opening to speak as his face reflected his indignation at what she was insinuating, but this time she was the one to interrupt. "I know you don't want to hear it, but we both know it's true. If we have to get away quickly... I can't- Please stay here..."

That crack in her veneer seemed to do the trick in convincing him, and a moment later she pulled tightly into one of his backbreaking bear hugs as he mumbled against her hair to promise to be careful and come back to him alive. "...I can't lose you either."

"I'll be okay, dad. Promise."

It was blaring of the van's horn that made them break apart, along with Daryl's shout to get going already. As she jumped into the back of the truck, she was surprised to find out that the new guy had somehow managed to talk Glenn into come along, and T-Dog was also joining them. The back door rolled down a moment later, but not before she caught one last look at her father's worried face; she hoped she hadn't just made him a promise she wouldn't be able to keep.

Closing her eyes to try and get that image of her father's tearful eyes out of her mind, she settled down on the floor, with her head against the wall, preparing herself for the hour long ride into the city. When she opened them again, Daryl was next to her, handing her the gun she had requested; it felt like so long ago that she had forgotten even asking him for it.

"Why d'you wanna come?" He asked bluntly, watching her with the confused expression he had earlier. "After the other night, I'm sure Merle ain't your favorite person these days..."

"Maybe not, but he's your brother and we're friends, so that's reason enough right there."

There was more to it than that, of course, but the answer seemed to satisfy him after a moment of him thinking about it when finally he nodded. Without a word, he stood up again, returning to his previous pacing despite the movement of the truck as she closed her eyes again, hoping this rescue mission would have a happy ending for all of them.