"We're brothers, right?" Daryl asked as they leaned against the fence.

"Always thought of you as a sister."

"Fuck you," he snapped. "Be serious."

"Yeah, we are," Merle said, realising that this was heading towards something imporant. "You forget or somethin?"

"No... But that means that I can talk to ya and you can't judge, right?"

"Spit it out," Merle sighed. Serious or not, he wasn't into beating around the bush.

Daryl thought for a moment about how to phrase what he wanted to say. "What were you like when you were first with a woman?"

"Why? You finally getting some?" Merle asked, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Just answer," Daryl mumbled, diverting his eyes away from his brother.

"This whole brother thing goes both ways, right? No judgin' or making comments, right?"

"Sure," Daryl said, surprised that his brother seemed to actually be taking this somewhat seriously.

"It was nerve racking," Merle admitted. "But it didn't take long for me to get Into the swing of things."

"How long?" Daryl asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

Merle shrugged before letting out a laugh. "'bout five seconds maybe, weren't long anyway. We're Dixons, you should know we're good with women."

Daryl sighed, he definitely was the exception to that. "Were you ever serious 'bout one?"

"You mean was I in a relationship?"

"Yeah," Daryl mumbled, too scared to look his brother in the eye.

"Hell no, why you askin' that?"

"Say you were," Daryl started. "Would you think you're good enough for her?"

"Probably not," Merle admitted. "I wouldn't let that stop me from gettin' any, but if I was serious about her l'd probably think I'm the worst thing for her."

"Oh," Daryl nodded. He was a Dixon just like his brother, and admittedly had a lot of the same qualities somewhere inside of him, if Merle could doubt himself around a woman then so could he.

"But, "Merle went on. "I wouldn't let that stop me, and Dixon or not, you're not like the regular sort."

"How not?"

"You give a damn," Merle said as if it were simple.

"Who says so?"

"Me, and the way you watch Mouse like it's Christmas morning or some shit," Merle chuckled.

"Fuck you," Daryl mumbled. "I do not."

"Sure ya don't," Merle nodded. "Must be somethin' serious."

"I never said there was anythin' to be serious about."

"You're asking me about relationships and shit," Merle laughed. "Either you're already fucking her but want to change or you wanna impress her first."

"You don't know shit," Daryl mumbled as he pushed away from the fence and started walking.

"Aw, come on now," Merle called as he followed Daryl. "I'm only takin' an interest."

"Don't, you answered my questions, that's it."

"Nah, I've got a few of my own, what I said before, which one is it?" Merle asked. "Because I'm thinking that you're tryin' to impress her, the way you're asking me about relationships like they matter or some shit."

"Maybe they do matter," Daryl shrugged.

"Always knew you'd go soft on me some day."

Daryl stopped, running a hand over his face. "You actually helped me out just now, why?"

"I told you I'd try," Merle shrugged. "This seems serious enough to try with."

"Well, thanks," Daryl said awkwardly knowing that it had been many years since he and Merle had had a somewhat serious conversation.

"Now, so I don't go all soft like you," Merle started as they continued to walk. "You must've done somethin' with her."

"I ain't tellin' you."

"C'mon, give me somethin'," Merle said, putting an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Gotta be somethin' about her, what she like? And I ain't talkin' about her personality."

"Hey, fuck you," Daryl snapped, pushing his brother away. "Never think of her that way again."

"What? She's a woman and I got needs," Merle shrugged.

"Merle, I'm warnin' ya," Daryl growled as he pushed Merle hard enough to make the older man stumble backwards.

Before Daryl could even think to shout another warning he found himself on the ground. He hissed out a breath as pain radiated from his bad shoulder. He looked around to see what had happened when Merle pinned him. The older Dixon was laughing and shaking his head at his brother. That confused Daryl, after pushing him Merle should've been pissed, not amused.

"You really have turned into a girl," Merle mused. "Fallin' in love and shit."

"Fuck you," Daryl mumbled, realising that his brother had said those things before about Carol just to get a reaction out of him.

"No, no, I see it," Merle went on, nodding his head. "Bein' all jealous and protective."

"Maybe she's just a friend."

"Nah, that Greene girl sees it too, or knows somethin'."

"Beth? Nah, she's a kid, just likes to stir up trouble."

"Ain't stirrin' up trouble if it's already there."

"Keep your mouth shut," Daryl half pleaded, half warned.

"Who am I gonna talk to?" Merle asked. "And plus, who's gonna believe me?"

Daryl let his head fall back onto the ground, letting out a low sigh as he did. Merle and Beth knew but were keeping their mouths shut, good. And he'd managed to have the conversation he'd set out to have, but honestly he was more confused than ever, having no idea if the conversation actually helped him at all or not.

Carol had watched the brothers from where she was dishing out the food. She had almost gone over when they started to fight but then she'd heard Merle laughing and she knew that things would sort themselves out. She watched as they conversed, every so often pulling her eyes away in order to see if she was putting the right amount of food on each plate. When both brothers got up off of the ground she set about making something for Judith.

She was just finishing that and pouring some drinks when the others all came over. Her eyes went to Daryl briefly just to make sure that it really was nothing before, and when she saw he was OK she let her eyes be pulled away and back to her food. She noticed that Daryl didn't sit beside her, but when she sought him out he gave her a smile.

All throughout dinner she tried to work out what on earth was going on. First, Daryl and Merle seemed to be fighting but it was nothing serious, then he doesn't sit with her but he seems happy and content. So it was nothing she did and it didn't seem like Merle did anything either but something had to have happened today, but it needed to have been something that didn't bother Daryl. It all hurt her head really. Especially when Daryl whispered "meet me at the apartment when you're done" after dinner.

She washed up the dishes as quickly as she could. She was sure that she didn't do them half as well as well as she should have but she wanted to go back to the apartment so that she could talk to Daryl.

"Daryl?" she called as she entered their small apartment.

"In here."

She spotted him in the living room, perched on the couch. As she stepped closer she spotted the can of beer in his hand, it must have been one of the drinks Michonne and Andrea had picked up. She sat down beside him she noticed two empty cans on the table with some unopened ones. Her eyes were on the can before they flitted up to his face with a qeustioning look. He only shrugged.

"I wanted some liquid confidence but I didn't want to get wasted."

"Liquid confidence for what?" she asked, feeling concerned.

"To be honest with ya," he shrugged. "I figured the physical stuff don't matter if we don't talk."

"You want to talk?" Carol couldn't help but sound hopeful.

"Yeah," he nodded, finishing the can and opening up his fourth.

"Where do you want to start?"

"The reason why we ain't tellin' people, the reason why we seem to be moving forward at such a slow pace."

She studied him then, trying to work out what he meant. Well, they'd been going at such a slow pace because he was uncomfortable with such contact and she hadn't experienced much like this herself, not with having spent most of her life with Ed. And as for not telling people well surely that was down to the fact that he was uncomfortable and this was new, they wanted to get used to it, be sure of what they were doing, get a handle on things. She didn't say anything, just stayed quiet and watched him as she tried to figure it out.

"I'm scared of losin' ya," he admitted. "I figure if we tell people then that makes it real and there's a good chance you'll realise how wrong I am for ya."

"Oh."

"I mean 'cause I am, I ain't boyfriend material, God if your Dad was here with you he would've shot me for even looking at you. And I know because Merle's had some close calls and I've had them too just for bein' his brother. Then you gotta just look at the other men round here, Rick for instance. He does just as much work as me but he dont' walk 'round with half the muck and grime on him that I do. Plus he ain't afraid of bein' with a woman or whatever."

Carol just sat back and let him go on and on about how he wasn't good enough for. Telling her all the reason from back in his old life to now, constantly comparing himself to the other male members of the group. So many times she wanted to cut in and stop him but she could see from the way his speech just seemed to rush out and his chest heaved that he needed to say it, she could always tell him once he was done that he was wrong, because she already knew that he was.

A/N: Merle and Daryl's conversation was meant to be a lot different, more teasing from Merle and less serious, but I wanted Merle to be in the process of trying to change for Daryl's sake so I figured he'd at least try to take it seriously. Also, this was meant to be longer but I didn't want too much talking so Carol and Daryl's conversation will continue on in the next chapter :)

R&R