Chapter 26

"Looks like the rain's lettin' up.". Merle remarked as he pushed back the curtain slightly from the window.

"Also looks like more activity out there too..." Gwen stated as she did the same to the window next to his.

Merle sighed heavily and shook his head. "I knew she'd bring 'em..."

"Merle come on...you can't blame Carol for this...they're freakin' everywhere anyways..." Gwen stepped away from the window and started sorting through the duffle bags trying to make sure each were weighted equally or as close as possible. Merle had found a third bag as he rummaged through the house.

"Don't be givin' her all our good shit..." Merle snapped.

Gwen looked at him blankly for a moment. "Just stop..."

"She ain't comin' with us...she's lucky I'm lettin' you give her anything..." Merle barked.

Gwen laughed a little to herself and continued sorting.

"What the hell you laughin' at?" He stepped closer towards her.

Gwen smirked then looked back at him. "The fact that you think you let me do stuff..."

Merle couldn't help but grow angrier at the fact that she was laughing at him. He pointed the blade of his wrist guard at her face. "Let me remind you whose been handlin' things since I dragged your ass from that prison...you've been fallin' apart this whole time but I've kept it together...I'VE HELD EVERYTHING TOGETHER...YOU...ME...EVERYTHING!" Merle pointed the blade back towards himself. "ME! AND DON'T YOU FORGET THAT!"

"Point that blade at me one more time like that and I'm going to shove it right up your ass!" Gwen gritted her teeth as she glared back at him. "She's coming with us...this isn't up for debate."

"I AIN'T DEBATIN' SHIT...SHE AIN'T COMIN'..." Merle turned away from her and started knocking things off the top of the dresser.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY MERLE? I'VE BEEN A WRECK, YOU'RE RIGHT! YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING THE LAST FEW DAYS...I'M SORRY...I'M SORRY I'M NOT AS STRONG AS YOU...I'M SORRY THAT WORRYING ABOUT OUR SON EATS ME UP EVERY SECOND BUT YOU KNOW WHY I'M REALLY PUSHING FOR THIS..." Gwen fussed at him.

Merle looked back at her angrily. His jaw was clenched. Gwen could see in his eyes his mind was racing. "You're soft that's why...oh she's helped us...we can't leave her defenseless...well we ain't...but she ain't helped me none..."

"She's helped the people you care about...I'm not asking you to like her Merle...but you know your brother would never forgive you if you left her here alone...I know you have to know that somewhere in that thick skull of yours!"

Merle turned his back towards her and leaned against the dresser. He bowed his head a moment then looked back over his shoulder at her. "Ain't nothin' between her and my brother...if he had been so worried about her she'd be with him now..."

"You know that has nothing to do with it...listen...I don't know what's between them, not entirely but he cares about her...he's close to her and it's different than with anyone else in the group...you know it's true..." Gwen insisted.

"I hate to but in but I feel like I have to..." Carol remarked as she stood in the doorway. Both Gwen and Merle looked towards her. "I know we haven't been each other's favorite Merle but haven't we suffered enough? I think we should stick together...it's safer that way. There's been enough loss between all of us. We need each other whether we like it or not." Carol looked directly at Gwen and softly smiled then cut her eyes back to Merle. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry...but Gwen's right...I do care about Daryl...I just didn't want to see him hurt..."

"You tried turnin' him against me...Ya never wanted me there at that stupid prison..." Merle grumbled. "He's my family...mine..."

"Accept my apology or not Merle...but I won't beg you...I've said my piece...I'll leave you to work it out." Carol turned and walked away from the doorway.

Gwen stared at Merle as she waited for him to say something.

Merle just stared at the doorway. He couldn't help but laugh a little to himself at the last bit of what she said. Merle turned back towards Gwen. "Fine but if we get over run by a herd I'm tossin' her in..."

Gwen stepped over to him and slipped her arms around his waist as she stared up at him. He gently brushed the hair back away from her face then traced his finger down the side of it.

"Why do you always have to pick fights with me?" She asked.

Merle grinned as he leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled away, he brushed his lips against her forehead and started to walk out of the room but turned back in the doorway. He grinned before he spoke. " Gonna go find us some wheels...pickin' fights always makes the sex hotter..."

.

"How long ya think we gotta stay down here?" Daryl asked as he sat on a blanket on the floor next to Anna as Ethan slept soundly on the cot. "Ya think they're gonna stay in that town?"

"I don't know...at least until your shoulder heals...Why?...You got someplace ya need to be?" Anna joked.

Daryl didn't crack a smile. "Actually I do..." He looked over at Ethan. "I gotta find my brother..."

"How the hell do you plan to do that?" She laughed.

"Everything a joke to you?" Daryl snapped at her.

Quickly she grew serious and Daryl could see she looked hurt...maybe even a little embarrassed.

"Sorry...this past week's been rough beyond what you can imagine...just...I guess I ain't in the mood for being laughed at..." Daryl sighed.

"I wasn't meaning to laugh at you...it's just finding someone these days is like looking for a needle in a haystack." She remarked.

"Actually a needle would be easy to find..." Daryl mumbled.

"What?" She looked at him confused.

"A needle would be easy to find...it doesn't look like hay...it's metal...just use oblique light and it will almost pop out...now finding a specific piece of hay in a haystack...that would be hard..." Daryl started to chew on the skin around his nails.

Anna looked at him surprised. "Oblique?"

"Yeah...it's when you shine a light at an angle that's..." Daryl started to explain but she cut him off.

"I know what oblique means...just didn't expect that you did..." She stated.

"Why...cause I'm just another stupid redneck?" Daryl said defensively.

Anna looked away from him and sighed. She felt like everything she said to him just came out wrong. "You hungry?" She asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Yeah...I'm surprised Ethan hasn't woken up hungry yet...hope the rain ain't makin' him sick..." Daryl moved closer to the cot and gently rested his hand on Ethan's chest. He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"Here..." He heard Anna's voice and as he opened his eyes noticed and open can in front him. He removed his hand from Ethan and took the can from her.

They both sat silent for a few minutes while they ate, both periodically glancing at the other. Daryl finally sat his can down then stared at her until she looked at him.

"He ain't mine...he's my brother's...why I gotta find him...him and Ethan's mother...if she's still alive." He told her.

"So the blond...I mean Beth..." Anna started to say.

"She ain't his mother...just worked out that way when we were all separated..." Daryl told her.

Anna looked over at Ethan and smiled softly for a moment, then returned to eating. "You treat him like yours..."

"I ain't gonna let nothin' hurt him...I can't...I'll die first..." Daryl remarked.

Anna's eyes returned to Daryl's. "I don't doubt that..."

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