Dear Readers: I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry about being absent for a very long time, I've been preoccupied with other things and I'm trying to write more original chapters for this story, which isn't all that easy when I'm constantly getting distracted by my other thoughts and it causes me to forget to update or write another chapter and I haven't been feeling motivated in writing, so please be a little patient. And again, I'm very sorry about taking so long and I hope you will enjoy the chapters.

Rick, Hershel and Daryl were outside near the fence, explaining the plan about what to do with Michonne.

"It's the only way" Rick said, "No one else knows"

"Ain't gonna tell them?" Daryl questioned.

"Not till after, we have to do it today, it has to be quiet"

Daryl nodded in understanding, "You got a plan?"

"Tell her we need to talk, away from the others"

Daryl looked back at Hershel, then back at Rick, "Just ain't us man"

"No, no it isn't" Hershel said and soon went inside.

"We do this, we avoid a fight, no one else dies" Rick said and Daryl nodded.

"Ok"

"We need someone else" Rick said with a look that Daryl seemed to get.

"I'll talk to him"

"I'll do it"

"I'll go with you"

"No…just me"

Rick was starting to walk away.

"Rick!" Daryl called out and Rick turned to him, "Echo might know something"

"What do you mean she might know something"

"During the meeting, she said that Michonne talked to her about the fight she had with the Governor, and she thinks that the Governor wants Michonne"

Rick looked towards the yard, thinking of what to do.

"She said that she thinks that the Governor wants Michonne, she doesn't know, we'll make sure that she's kept busy with other things away from Michone and we'll deliver her to the Governor" Rick said and soon went back inside.

Daryl stayed outside, feeling a little bad about handing Michonne over to the Governor, he knew that Echo really cared for her since she saved her and Andrea. He didn't want to think of how she'll feel if she knew that they took her to the Governor; would she be furious? Would she leave? He didn't want that, she was too important to the group, to the people…to him.

After talking to Merle about what they were going to do with Michonne, he ran back out with his gun when he heard some yelling. He looked over to see Carl and Maggie calling the walkers over while Daryl and Glenn placed a barbed wire on a wooden board out in the yard.

Then he looked to see Michonne and Echo slashing some walkers down while Daryl and Glenn got that done. When they were, they climbed into the truck and drove back up to the prison courtyard; Rick ran towards the gate and opened it up as they drove in.

"Tried to drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop" Glenn said as he climbed out.

"That's a good idea" Rick said.

"It was Michonne's" Daryl corrected and Rick looked at him.

"We don't have to win, we just have to make them getting at us more trouble than it's worth" Michonne explained.

Rick looked at her and gave her a very small nodded, then he looked over to see Maggie and Carl come back in, then he turned back around to look at Daryl and he nodded her him.

"Let's go" Rick said and headed towards their cell block as everyone followed.

Everyone had gone off to do what they needed to do to prepare; Glenn and Echo were fixing up a busted gate when Daryl came by.

"Hey!" Daryl called out, "You seen Merle around?"

Glenn didn't answer and he went back to fixing the gate, but Echo shook her head. Daryl put his crossbow down and helped with fixing the gate.

"He say he was sorry yet?" Daryl asked, but Glenn stayed quiet, "Cause he is"

After the gate was fixed, Glenn picked up a box and walked back to the table, Echo stayed at the gate, not sure if she should be here in the middle of it.

"He's gonna make it right, I'm gonna make him, there's got to be a way" Daryl said and Glenn still didn't say anything, "Just need a little forgiveness is all"

Glenn then walked to stand in front of Daryl, "He tied me to a chair, beat me and threw a walker into the room, maybe I could call it even; but he… he took Maggie to a man who terrorized her, humiliated her, I care more about her than I care about me"

Glenn went back to the table and continued to do what he was doing, Daryl walked to the table and grabbed his crossbow and walked towards the gate, but he looked back and saw Echo looking at him. Her eyes or face didn't say anything, she looked down at the ground before turning back to the gate and he left. Daryl soon went to the tombs to search.

"Merle!" Daryl called out as he cautiously made his way to the engine room, "You down here?"

Daryl heard a noise and he held his crossbow up.

"Merle!"

Daryl made his way to the room and he saw Merle there, leaning against the table, he was a little surprised to see Nuna sleeping on the table.

"Hey little brother" Merle said a little cheerfully.

"What the hell?"

"I was just about to holler back at you"

Daryl pointed towards Nuna, trying to see if he could get an answer.

"Thing was down here when I got here; belong to that chick I scarred?"

"…Yeah, Nuna"

"That's a stupid ass name"

"It belonged to a little girl Echo knew"

"…Kid get bit?"

Daryl was quiet before nodding; Merle looked at the purring cat and patted its head.

"Thinking about drop kicking the damn thing, but it'll probably be a while before I see another cat"

"Whatcha doing down here?"

"Just looking for a little crystal meth"

Daryl gave him a look.

"Yeah I know, shit messed my life up when everything's going so sweet"

"…You talked to Rick yet?"

"Yeah, oh yeah, I'm in, but uh, he ain't got the stomach for it; he's gonna buckle you know that right?"

"Yeah, if he does, he does"

"You want him to?"

"Whatever he says goes"

"Do you even posses a pair of balls little brother? Are they even attached? I mean if they are, they belong to you; you used to call people like that sheep; what happened to you?"

"What happened? With you and Glenn…and Maggie"

"I've done worse… you need to grow up, things different now…ya'll people look at me like I'm the devil; grabbing us up like birdsnow you want to do the same damn things like I did, snatch someone up and deliver them to the Governor, just like me; people do what they got to do or they die"

"Can't do things without people anymore man"

"Maybe these people need somebody like me around huh, do their dirty work, the bad guy; maybe that's how it is huh? How'd they get you?"

"…I just want my brother back"

"...Get out of here man"

Merle looked away; Daryl grabbed Nuna and left. After some time had passed, Daryl and Rick were outside.

"It's off" Rick said as he approached Daryl, "We'll take our chances"

"Not saying it was a wrong call; what's wrong?"

"I can't find Merle or Michonne, they've gone"

"Rick, Daryl!"

Both men looked to see Echo coming out.

"I can't find Michonne; do you know where she is?"

Daryl looked back at the gate and started to run with Rick behind.

"Come on"

The three of them soon ran towards the boiler room and found it empty.

"He's in here, say he's looking for drugs, saying a lot of things actually" Daryl said as he looked around.

"Like what?" Rick asked as he looked on the other side.

"Says you never gonna change your mind, here we go"

They looked to see a sack that had some blood on it.

"Yeah, he took her here, mixed it up"

"Damn it"

"You're saying Merle kidnapped Michonne?" Echo questioned angrily.

"I'm going after him" Rick said and started to walk towards the back exit.

"You can't track for shit" Daryl called out.

"Then the both of us"

"Nah, just me, I said I'll go, I'll go, plus when I come back, you need to be ready, your family too"

"I'm tagging along" Echo said.

"I'm going-"

"Don't give me lip!" Echo interrupted, "Michonne's my friend, she looked out for me and Andrea when we were sitting ducks ready for slaughter, I'd like to look out for her and you can't stop me; and even if I can't track for shit I'll take my guess of where they're at, I'm not sitting on my ass while Michonne is out there with your brother, you can explain to me why Merle took her in the first place on the way"

Echo pushed passed Daryl and headed towards the woods, Daryl slammed his fist into the door and chased after her.

"So you're saying that you guys were going to hand her over to the Governor, thinking it's gonna keep us safe?" Echo questioned as they followed Merle's and Michonne's trail.

"It was canceled just as you came out"

"But even if it wasn't, you think you can believe the Governors words?"

"No, but it was a shot in the dark"

"I've seen his ways, he says his little comforting words, looks you in the eyes with this deceiving look and you'll melt right into his hands; those who can actually see through his lies have to sneak out just to live, safer out here than under his watch; he's a sneaky minx"

"I thought that was just for women"

"Just because people say it's for women, doesn't mean men can't use their charms to woo women into thinking it's safe under him in his cozy little palace"

"…Did he try going after you like he did with Andrea?"

After hearing about what Glenn had told him, he started to think about a lot of things.

"No, I'm not that easy to woo and I don't do one night stands, and even if he forced himself on me, my dad taught me how to deal with those types of guys, no matter how big or strong they were"

Daryl grunted in response and they continued to walk. Daryl heard a noise and he looked back to see Echo removing her gauze, then threw it on the ground. He saw that it was still scabby, it'll probably leave a scar, but you would have to look real close to actually see it.

"What're you gonna do when we catch up to them?" Daryl asked, he knew she was pissed about Merle kidnapping Michonne, but she might release some hell on him because of the scar.

"Can I drop kick him?" Echo asked, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk.

"…Depends" Daryl said with a shrug.

"On what?" Echo asked, then gave him a questioning look, "I don't have to do something for you do I?"

"No" Daryl chuckled lightly.

"Good, I'd still drop kick him if I see him"

"Well what if I stop you?"

"I'd flip you on your ass and then drop kick the fool"

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle again, she always said what was on her mind, with a smile if it was funny, and a straight face if it was serious; after some time, they finally saw Michonne, stabbing a decapitated walker head.

"Hey!" Daryl called out, "Where's my brother? You kill him?"

Michonne shook her head, "He let me go"

"Don't let anyone come after me" Daryl said and turned to Echo, "You go back with her, you got her now"

Daryl soon ran off and Echo approached Michonne.

"You ok?"

"Yeah…go with him"

"But he said to go with you, I only came to get you back"

"I can go back on my own, he'll probably need you, go"

Michonne walked past Echo and headed back to the prison; Echo looked as Michonne walked towards the woods, she turned to look back at her and pointed her swords towards Daryl, saying to follow him. Echo kept looking back between Michonne and Daryl before sighing and running after Daryl, then she caught up with him.

"I told you to go with her, you got what you wanted" Daryl said without looking at her.

"Yeah, but she told me to come with you, said something about you needing me"

"I said go-"

"I don't mean to hurt your pride, I really don't, but Michonne scares me more than you do, I mean, you do scare me at times, but she's leaning a little more"

Daryl groaned loudly and continued to walk, not really caring right now, all he wanted to do was find Merle. They continued to walk in an uncomfortable silence, so Echo decided to speak.

"I'm sure Merle will be ok, he's real cunning…I'm a little scared about him running into the Governor though"

"Didn't think you cared about him that much, he nearly slit your throat open"

"I don't hold grudges, and I knocked him down one time for what he did to Glenn, Maggie and Michonne, so I'm kind of over it...and he cares a lot for you, he'll worry over you, so he can't be all that bad, just has a smart mouth and I've dealt with a whole lot of people with smart mouths"

Daryl felt her hand rub against his back for a few seconds before she dropped it and he looked over at her and she was still staring ahead.

Rick, Glenn and Maggie were walking into a small courtyard with in the fence where everyone else was gathered and Rick stood in front of them.

"When I met with the Governor" Rick spoke, "He offered me a deal, he said…he said he would leave us alone…if I gave him Michonne…and I was gonna do that…to keep us safe. Well I changed my mind…but now Merle took Michonne to fulfill the deal and Daryl and Echo went to stop him and I don't know if it's too late. I was wrong, not to tell you…I'm sorry; what I said last year, that first night, after the farm, it can't be like that, it can't; what we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call, it can't be"

"I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good, because-because we are the greater good, we're the reason we're still here, not me; this is life and death, how you live, how you die, it isn't up to me. I'm not your Governor, we chose to go, we chose to stay, we stick together; we vote, we can stay and we can fight or we can go"

Rick then walked off, leaving the others to think about what he had said. Rick walked up to the guard tower and looked out over the yard, he spotted something coming out of the woods and he used his scope on his gun and saw that it was Michonne. He was relieved to see that she was coming back, but worried that Daryl and Echo weren't with her, wondering what had happened for them to stay behind.

Daryl and Echo soon came across the feed store where they had the meeting with the Governor, they saw dead, once living, bodies on the ground and the live walkers were eating at them. Daryl had his crossbow ready and Echo didn't have her machete, but she still had her knife with her. They walked over some walker bodies and passed some half eaten bodies; Daryl even shot one of the walkers.

But then they came across a walker feeding on a body; Echo covered her mouth in shock when she saw that the walker was feeding on Ben's body. The walker suddenly looked up and it was Merle. Daryl was in shock before he started to cry as Merle stood up and stumbled towards him, Echo stepped back, leaving Daryl to do what he needed to do.

Daryl stepped back a bit when Merle came close, and when he tried to attack him, Daryl pushed him back, Merle came at him again and he pushed him back. Daryl came at him this time and pushed him once before taking his knife and stabbed him up through his jaw and knocked his to the ground. Daryl then repeatedly stabbed Merle in the head with frustration, then he pulled back and fell on his back.

He pushed himself up and just sat forward on his knees and leaned down, panting after what happen. Echo was sitting back, watching as Daryl killed his brother; she probably knew only half of what he was feeling; now she knew why Michonne wanted her to go with him. Echo was hesitant at first, but she made her way towards Daryl, then kneeled behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

Daryl tensed when he felt Echo hug him, but he relaxed and stood still; they stayed like that for a while. But then Daryl grabbed Echo's wrist and pulled it back, Echo pulled back when Daryl started to move and he turned to look at her. Echo saw some tears on his cheeks, so she reached up and wiped them away, but Daryl placed his hand on top her hers while it was still on his face.

Echo was a little confused when Daryl gripped her hand, then he suddenly used his free hand to grip the back of her neck and pulled her forward in a surprise kiss. Echo was now totally confused when Daryl placed a kiss on her; when he pulled back, they didn't say anything; just when Echo was about to say something, Daryl pulled her into another kiss and pushed her to the ground.

Echo gasped a bit by how hard she was pushed into the ground, and it gave Daryl the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. Daryl moved the hand that was holding her hand and slide it down her side, over her hip, down her thigh and to her knee and pulled it over his hip as he continued to kiss her with a passion that he was holding back since she came back to them after they were separated.

He finally got it, that he loved her ever since she was separated from the group and that he missed her during that time; he was thinking about her the whole time when he left the group after they raided Woodbury to save Glenn and Maggie. And killing his brother brought him to think about Echo, wanting to protect her, wanting to actually show affection to someone.

Echo was still baffled by what Daryl was doing, she didn't know if she should push him off or just let him continue. She knew that Daryl was distraught about Merle turning into a walker, but she didn't think of him doing this because of it. Before Echo could actually push him off, Daryl pulled back and they both panted for air, then Daryl moved to kiss the scar on Echo's neck and she made a little whining noise as she tensed, it was her sensitive spot.

Daryl pulled back again and looked down at Echo, her eyes were closed tight and there was a blush covered her face, then he leaned down and kissed Echo's cheek. This made Echo open her eyes and they looked at each other, not saying anything; then he got off of her and helped her up.

"Let's go home" Daryl finally spoke.

Echo nodded slowly and they soon walked off the lot, Daryl holding onto Echo's hand.

Sorry if the last part was sappy sounding, but it's hard for me to make a character sound so OOC, I like the way they are now, so I try hard not to change them so drastically.