Hey Guys. I have decided to put Merle into the story description because I really want to show the brotherly, sisterly bond between him and Moses, especially in this chapter. Extra long (for me) because, apart from a short chapter 2 days ago, I haven't updated this story in forever. Please enjoy and review.

Over the next few days, Phillip practically kept Moses wrapped in cotton wool. He hardly let her do a thing and frankly she was sick of it. Her cracking point was one afternoon when she woke up to find Merle sitting in an armchair by the sofa she was sleeping on. He told her that he was just visiting but she knew different: he was guarding her on Phillips orders.

She sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the sofa and pulling on her boots.

"Where do ya think your goin'?" Merle asked, blocking the door.

"Out" she replied simply in a voice that said "Don't argue with me." Of course Merle decided to ignore this.

"You sure that's a good idea?" he asked. She raised her eyebrows.

"I'm just going for a walk. What could possibly happen?" she said edging around him to get to the door.

He stared at her, obviously looking for an excuse to keep her in the apartment.

She ignored him and continued down the hall towards the door.

Getting desperate as she finally reached the door, he tried to think of something, anything to distract her.

"Who's Alyssa?" he blurted out.

It worked. She froze with her hand on the door-handle.

She turned and glared at him. He was surprised at the anger in her face.

"How the hell did you know that?" she snarled.

"Uhh… well I couldn't help but notice ya were talkin' in your sleep, thrashin' around. I think ya were havin' a nightmare. Ya kept mentioning an "Alyssa" he mumbled not looking at her.

Her voice was softer when she replied, scarily quiet and laced with venom.

"Get out" she whispered.

"Moses…" he started.

"GET OUT" she screamed. She whirled picking up the first thing she saw. He ducked to avoid the mug as she flung it across the room. It shattered into a million pieces as it hit the wall.

She stood in the middle of the room, panting and he watched as the anger visibly drained out of her body.

She put a hand to her mouth and stared at him looking terrified at what she'd done.

"Merle, I… I'm sorry" she stuttered.

She sank into the sofa again and he sat next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into the man who had become like a brother to her. After a few minutes she gathered every ounce of courage she had left.

"Do you have any family Merle?" she asked looking up at him.

"Uhh… Ma and Pa died before all this shit. My brother Daryl was wit' the group in Atlanta."

She winced at the mention of his old group. Phillip had told her the story of how Merle had lost his hand and it sickened her.

"Why'd ya wanna know?" Merle asked, confused.

Moses didn't appear to hear him. She stared at a picture on the wall but her eyes were unfocused. It was as if she couldn't even see it.

"I always wanted a brother or sister" she said quietly as if she were talking to herself. But then she glanced up and gave him a small smile.

"My parents never wanted any more kids. Even I wasn't planned. My mom used to call me their little unexpected miracle.'' She snorted.

"They were great parents even if they never meant to be. They loved music so I grew up loving music too. My dad taught me how to play the guitar and the flute and my mom taught me piano and violin. I loved it all but guitar was my favorite. Like my dad." She could feel the familiar dull ache she felt every time she talked about her past but she couldn't help but feel like she would feel better afterwards.

"Other people didn't agree. I'd miss school because I'd been up all night playing music with my parents and their friends. The other kids thought I was weird and I guess I was. While they were spending their teenage years in malls and stuff I was hunting and camping in the woods. My dad taught me about archery and how to gut and clean what I killed. The other girls thought it was creepy, what I did. I didn't care though. I loved it." Her eyes were misty again but she shook herself out of it and looked at him. For once he was silent, wondering where she was going with the story. She sighed and continued.

"I never once, in all my life, felt like my parents didn't love me. My mum died when I was 14. It was the worst day of my life." A single tear rolled down her face but she wiped it away.

"My dad was never the same after that. He never played guitar again. Said it reminded him of her too much. We moved back to Italy to be near my grandparents and my dad died 2 years later. It was of a broken heart, I don't care what the doctors say." She was silent for a few minutes.

"Moses, I'm sorry…" Merle started but she held up a hand to stop him. She took another deep breath and went on.

"A few years later I came back to the states for college. I studied music and for the first time since I was 14 I was happy. I made friends. A group of misfits, just like me." She grinned as she thought of her friends.

"Eric, Jason, Kayla…and Alyssa. They were my best friends. They loved music too. We played together, me and Lyssa on guitar, Kayla on the flute, Eric on tin whistle- he was Irish, ya know? And Jason on piano. After college we went all over the country, playing concerts. It was amazing. We met new people, saw new things… We only ever got closer. I'd have done anything for them and they'd have done the same for me. They were family, my brothers and sisters." Her eyes blazed and she refused to look at him.

"When the virus hit, we were playing in Atlanta. Eric said we should get out of the city, he didn't believe the refuge centre would help. But there were so many people… and those things were everywhere…" She sighed.

"I got separated from the others but I managed to find Alyssa. She said we had to get out… Jay had told her to meet outside the city. Then they started dropping the bombs" Merle was silent as he remembered watching Atlanta being destroyed with all those people… living people still inside.

"We were near the outside of the city so we didn't get the worst of it. But…but…" She gasped and tears streamed down her face. She buried her face in her hands so he could barely hear her next words.

"She pushed me out of the way. I tried to stop it but I couldn't get to her in time. I ran towards her. She got the full blast. I just got a piece of it and even that nearly killed me." She looked at him.

"I ran" she whispered. "I got out of the city. I waited for days for the others but they never came. I managed to find a village eventually…some food, medicine. Patched myself up. My arms healed eventually but…" She raised a hand to touch the thin scars on her face.

Merle put a hand on her arm and looked straight in her eyes.

"Listen, Moses, that's awful and I'm really sorry but you couldn't have stopped it. It wasn't your fault."

She was shaking her head before he'd even finished speaking.

"It was though" she said quietly. "I'm alive and she's not and that is my fault."

With that she put her head down, forgetting her previous wish to leave the apartment. He waited until she fell asleep before leaving the apartment. Lost in his thoughts as he was, he didn't notice Phillip standing in the kitchen. Having came in while they were talking, he had waited, unnoticed in the other room and heard every word.

Okay, a bit of Moses-Merle bonding and some of Moses' background and past. Please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thanks a lot!

JAGWALFF