"Carol?" Merle said as she opened the door. "How ya feelin' right now? I hear my brother went for a little swim."

"I'm sorry." She started.

"Don't you dare apologize, you ain't hurt him none. Well maybe his pride's a bit bruised, but Daryl can handle worse n that.

You stood up for yourself. That is what I been tryin to get you to do. It's what Daryl and everyone else has been wanting you to do. It's what you're gonna have to do to survive in this world."

"It's not me. I'm not a violent person Merle." Carol said.

"It ain't about bein violent, it's about survivin'. Let me ask ya somethin, ya care what happens to Daryl?"

"Of course I do! He almost died looking for Sophia. When everyone else including me had given up hope, Daryl wouldn't. He did everything humanly possible to find her." Carol sat on the bed. And buried her face in her hands. "He has done so much for me, and everyone else. And we haven't done anything except take from him. I realized that today."

"I wouldn't say you ain't done nothin for him Carol, you gave him a bath." Merle smiled at her and handed her a tissue.

"I did do that didn't I?" She said with a small laugh. "The thing was when he was sitting there in the creek, I realized just how much I had failed him. I wanted to think it was his job to protect me, that all I had to do was hide behind him. But I also realized that I had been just as cruel to him in my own way as Ed had been to me.

I was alone after Sophia died, I guess I saw him as a kindred spirit. We were both alone, we had both lost people we loved. And as I saw others accepting him, I kind of felt like they were taking him from me. He was all I had left. And I would try to drive a wedge between him and the others with things I'd say and do." Carol shook her head no. "Daryl is a good man, he deserves better from me, from all of us. There's been times that Daryl was my only friend."

"He ain't exactly the most social person in the world, that's for sure. He always been happiest out in the woods with nobody around. Before this shit happened I told him he was gonna end up one of them crazy ZZ Topp lookin' bastards with a beard down to his knees; living alone on top of a mountain, just him and the bears.

But Daryl took care of you. He had reasons you don't know nothin about. And until we all connected back up, he woulda laid down his life for ya. Y'all had more n common than you know." Merle said cryptically.

"I do feel like I should apologize." Carol said.

"I guess you do have some stuff to apologize for after all, but dumpin his ass in the creek ain't one of em." Merle said. "By the way, you're on guard with me tonight. Ain't nobody back home woulda shoved Daryl in a creek once he was grown, they was all as scared of him as they was a me. All you had to do was ask round town everybody woulda told you 'You don't fuck with the Dixons'.

That means you are one tough lady. I always knew you were, you just had to prove it to yourself, and now you have. "

"I think she'll be okay now, once she realizes she just got away with shovin' me in the creek." Daryl said. "Shocked the hell outta me. Once second I'm standin there with her up in my face yellin at me and the next I'm flat on my ass in ice cold water with my nuts shrivelin up like a couple of raisins!"

"So you think she'll be alright now?" Rick asked.

"She's on her way. It took guts for her to jump me like that." Daryl said. "She holds on to that and she'll be just fine. And Merle will remind her when she starts to doubt."

"I have to ask, why did Merle agree to help her?" Rick asked.

"Merle saw how tough she was back at the quarry handlin' Ed.. He never much liked Ed, any more n I did. We saw how he treated her. We saw how he looked at Sophia too. Merle and me don't much like child molesters to begin with, and for a man to be sick enough to look at his own baby girl that way?

Since you ain't wearin a badge no more, I'll be honest with you. If them walkers hadn't got him, he was gonna turn up dead soon anyways. They just saved me n Merle the trouble. Sides, Merle ain't one to poach on another man's land; but that man ain't around no more, that woman is fair game."

"Merle had a thing for Carol?" Rick asked shocked.

"Has a thing for her. I always took care of her cause I knew it was what Merle would've wanted. He'd of expected me to make sure she didn't come to no harm. I asked you to get him to help with her cause I knew he could help; and the way he feels bout her, he ain't gonna fail her."