Hello, readers! Long time no see! This is a really long chapter and the second of two Merle and Michonne chapters that I promised.

Warning: Brief lemon.

Big, huge thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed since the last chapter. I'm greatly appreciative.

I don't own TWD.

I really hope you guys enjoy this one!

….

Anything I Can Do, Pt. 2

"Found a board game… Operation." Merle grinned gently shook the closed package. "Maybe sumthin' t' occupy our time once we bunker down."

He and Michonne went through their third house on the block about a half mile from the bar. They found a few things that Michonne wanted to try and get a hold of: ramen, rice, dried beans. They even managed to find canned soups and sauces and vegetables. The older Dixon even found a few medical books, as Thaliana requested, along with a dump truck and a model airplane kit that he thought Emiko might like. Still not much in the way of weapons. The most they found was a revolver in one house with an almost empty box of ammo to accompany it. Michonne looked at Merle and then the board game.

"Operation? Too easy." Michonne smirked back. "I can play that in my sleep."

"'Too easy?'" Merle chuckled "Darlin', you mus' have hands like a surgeon, then, cause I don' ever remember this game bein' as easy as you makin' it out t' be. I say you bluffin'."

"I say loser takes first watch." Michonne replied, getting a big grin as an initial response.

"You on, woman… It's on." Merle laughed.

Michonne and Merle moved as fast as they could while still trying to be thorough in their searches. Merle chuckled a little when he caught sight of Michonne stuffing a small jar of Nutella into her personal bag with the already half-eaten bag of peanuts before they walked out for the next house.

"Last two houses, then we move on." Merle said as he looked across the street. All the houses across the street were burned to the ground, which they both surmised had probably happened around the start of the end. He turned to Michonne, who nodded to him and they carefully made their way inside.

As soon as Merle opened the door, he noticed a body on the kitchen floor. He couldn't determine any head trauma to it, so he stabbed it in the head just to be sure. Quietly, the advanced further into the house and looked around, noting the thin veil of dust over everything. It all seemed undisturbed. Michonne immediately heard shuffling and groaning upstairs.

"I got it." Merle said as he started to rush off, only to have Michonne block him off.

"You got the bar… I've got this." Michonne said in her usual calm tone. "See what you can find down here."

Quietly, she went up the flight of stairs, her eyes watchful for anything that would come her way. Once at the top, she pressed herself against the wall, hearing the sound clearer now. It was at the end of the hall, scraping at a door, it sounded like. She pulled her katana from the sheath and slowly advanced down the short hallway until she looked around the corner. The walker was behind one of the doors. Carefully, she crept forward, listening intently to hear which door it was behind. Once she was to the middle of the hall, she heard it as clear as she could with most of the doors closed. Slowly, Michonne opened the door enough to halfway step inside and run the walker through with her blade. After the body landed on the blood-crusted carpet, the samurai wicked the blood away and re-sheathed it.

The girl walker she killed, based on how it was dressed, might have been no older than sixteen. Michonne looked around the room for any useful items, finding some batteries still in an opened blister pack, a half full box of protein bars and some luxury things like comic books and a stash of sweets in a dresser. After finding what she could, she went back into the hallway and stopped when she saw a door that had something hung on it. It was a cute sign with an airplane and a building block decorating the corners, the name "Anthony" written on it. Michonne became hesitant, standing in front of the door for a long time before even reaching for the handle.

She slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open, remaining silent as she stepped in. She looked around the room, seeing the walls painted powder blue with one of them decorated with drawings of teddy bears and the wooden crib in the corner. Michonne looked around and saw some useful items: a partially used pack of diapers, a couple of folded baby blankets and some soft toys. Finding all she could upstairs, she started to go meet up with Merle in the kitchen when she heard a faint, dry rasping behind her. She slowly turned back into the room and looked toward the crib, her eyebrows upturned as she pleaded in her mid that she wasn't hearing what she thought she was. Her legs kept on moving forward while her brain was screaming at her not to look, as if it knew what she would find. As she moved closer, her eyes welled with tears when a tiny, shriveled hand slowly reached up the moment it saw her.

Michonne felt sick in her stomach as her eyes fell on the reanimated baby. Its little arms and legs moved so slowly and its body was withered from starvation and dehydration, even the small diaper was too big now. She couldn't even imagine how much that little boy cried before it all stopped for him. As tears trailed from her eyes, she pulled her sword back out again and held it over the baby walker, aiming the point for its head. She took a trembling breath and chocked back a sob before stabbing the creature in the head. She let out another sob as she back away from the crib until her back hit the wall. Of all she'd seen, had been through and done, this was the thing that may have broken her. She turned away from the crib, folding her arms around herself as she cried quietly.

Merle was able to find a couple of medical books in a box in the den, like Thaliana asked. He managed to find another handgun with four bullets in it and a shotgun with two, along with an almost empty box of ammo, as well. He put what he found into a shopping bag and put the safeties on the guns and made his way upstairs to check on Michonne. He knew that Michonne wasn't a noisy type, but he was concerned after not hearing from her in a while. The older Dixon went upstairs quietly, in case anything else was upstairs that shouldn't be. He turned the corner after coming up the stairs. As he got closer to the end of the hall, he heard something clatter to the floor and rushed toward the sound.

"Mich – " Merle started to call out until he stepped into the room and saw Michonne's katana on the floor and her facing the rear corner of the room, sniffling.

He walked further into the room and saw the now dead baby walker, the pastel sheets beneath it absorbing all the blood flowing out of him. He turned to Michonne and saw her shaking and her face streaked with rivers of tears. The bruiser didn't know what to say to Michonne to ease what pain she was feeling. He walked over to her and slowly wrapped his arm around her, holding her as she lamented. He did his best to comfort her.

"Michonne..." was all Merle could say to her.

Merle held her even after her tears subsided. Michonne had many nights where she cried herself to sleep over her son, her family. It was the first time that vulnerable facet of her was seen by anyone; not even Andrea had seen her cry.

The swelled clouds had fully overtaken the clear sky and began to start drizzling. The thunder had grown louder and lightning started to crack across the sky. The two turned away from each other for a moment when they started hearing the snarls, but that quick glance away was all that it took for them to see a crowd of walkers start to crest over the hill behind the houses across from them. Merle bent down and picked up Michonne's katana.

"C'mon… we can't stay here." Merle urged gently, earning a silent nod before she took and sheathed her sword, then they gathered all they found, before they quickly got in the car and drove off.

…

Merle glanced over at Michonne from time to time, concerned about how she was holding up. He felt the need to just let her be for now. She exhaled after a while before sinking into her seat and staring out of the window, sometimes watching the rain streak across the glass, or the treetops swaying in the wind, as well as the occasional burnt or dilapidated house and walker stuck in mud. As much as Michonne seemed like this fortified wall, so unfazed by anything, it was all she could think about. It was the one time she didn't trust her gut and it haunted her. She was tormented by it. Michonne wasn't sure if she could ever reach that point where she could forgive… Mike, Terry… if she could even forgive herself.

The ride to the police station was an even worse silence than before. Merle said nothing until the turned the corner to the street the station was on, only to find it flooded by the muddy creek that was nearby. He cursed under his breath as he had to come up with a new place for them to get to before dark. After another fifteen minutes, he managed to find a rather large house with a few vegetable and fruit plants, some bearing useable produce. He saw that there was a garage attached to the house, as well as a shed big enough to shelter a small boat.

"Got a place t' hide the car… maybe some tools in that shed there." Merle spoke up. The last thing he wanted was for all the supplies to be taken and to show up without Thaliana's car. He looked over to Michonne, who still seemed in a somber mood after what happened. "Let's get out this rain." He said quietly.

As he did the entire trip, Merle got out and opened the door for her. After locking the car, they headed toward the front door of the house and opened it quietly. Upon entering, they pressed the back wall of the kitchen. Merle peeked around the corner and saw that the living room was trashed. There was paper everywhere, blood smeared on the walls and dried pools of it on the floors. He spotted at least three silhouetted figures meandering around.

"How many?" Michonne whispered.

"… I count five, from what I could make out." Merle answered just as quietly.

Michonne looked toward the tiny dining room and saw an entryway on the far side. She nudged Merle with her arm and pointed her head toward that direction, suggesting flanking them and trying to divide up the walkers. Agreeing on this plan, Merle watched Michonne as she headed toward the dining room, and exiting through the other entryway. No sooner than they emerged from either side, one of the walkers roared upon spotting them, alerting another two that stated to trickle out from the den.

"Fuck me runnin'." Merle huffed before he kicked one back to buy himself time while stabbing the other.

Michonne swung her blade at the closest walker and lopped off the top of its head before stabbing the next. Merle hopped into action right behind her, using his bayonet blade to jab into the walkers' fragile skulls. Michonne was approached by two walkers and used her katana to dispatch them both. They kept going until the only sound left after the last thud was Merle and Michonne each breathing a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Merle asked as he looked over to the woman.

"Yeah." Michonne answered "You?"

"I'm all right."

Michonne nodded and looked around the room, seeing the felled walkers bleeding out on the already caked carpet. She exhaled, knowing that they still weren't done clearing the place. Judging by the size of the place, there could be more upstairs or in the basement. Michonne nodded her head toward the direction of the garage and started heading to it, Merle walking beside her.

….

After they cleared the house and dragged the bodies out into the backyard, Michonne began to check out the basement while Merle went out to the shed with a pair of bolt cutters from the trunk of the Maybach. Michonne almost marveled at the sight of the basement. Everything was veiled with a thin layer of dust, but she saw a closed gun locker, two boxes marked "MREs", several first aid kits, one box of non-perishables, and a video camera. Outside, Merle cut the chain on the shed and opened the door to see a pickup truck with some farming tools scattered in the back. He looked around the shed some more and found two fuel cans, one full one half-full, as well as some sacks of dirt and fertilizer and some sheet metal against the wall. He made his way back over to the pile of walkers and searched all of them for keys and finding none until he got back inside the house and found them on the hook just by the front door.

Michonne, at this point, was more than ready for that drink Merle offered. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and the two glasses from the bar and sat beside Michonne in the dining room with a small oil lantern on the table for light. Merle poured her drink before making his own. For a time, Michonne just looked at the amber imbibement before she took a sip of her drink and cringed, jarred by how strong it was

"Uh-oh." Merle said with a smirk "I take it mixed cocktails n' such is more your scene, huh?"

"More of a wine girl, actually." Michonne replied.

"Fancy pants, through n' through." Merle chuckled as he set the bottle down again and closed it. "Hold on, maybe I can find a bottle 'round here."

Michonne let out a single chuckle and told him not to worry about it. Her smirk faded just as quickly as she slowly rotated the glass with her fingers.

"Look…What happened back at that house…" Michonne started "That wasn't like me. I just had a moment where…. I'm saying that's not a regular thing."

She turns slightly to Merle just after he pressed the glass to his lips and took a long sip from it. Merle looked at the glass and swirled the drink around a little. Michonne was surprised that Merle, talker that he was, was silent, almost pensive. He reached his arm around Michonne and pulled her into him, giving her another comforting hug. Michonne stiffened a bit at the contact, but she turned into him slightly and let out a sigh that seemed to expel the tension she held in.

"You a strong woman, 'Chonne. That's sumthin' I come to really admire 'bout you. " Merle said quietly "But even the strong'll weep…. Pain, loss – it's always been there… it's just… it hurts more now, 'cause… what's left t' lose but the people we love?" he continued. "What happened back there don' change nuthin'… 'Cept if you need ever need a shoulder…I'm here."

Michonne set her glass down and looked at the dim lamp on the table for a moment, a little stunned that something like that came out of the redneck's mouth; still, she learned some time ago that face value isn't everything. After a time, the samurai slowly leaned into Merle more, resting her head on his shoulder . "So, you know something about me… what I went through since it all started… your turn." She exhaled.

"Ain't much t' me." Merle began with a slight shrug "I wasn't makin' it with the outlook I had on things… I was angry n' took it out on the world. I wasted a lot o' my time doin' things I've come t' regret…. Before n' after the shit hit the fan. If I'm totally honest, if it weren't for me bein' the way I was then, I wouldn't have been lef' on that roof top… but then, I probably wouldn't have ever ran into Emi…. That lil' girl changed a lotta things… I think I'm better for it."

Merle smiled as he thought about all they went through together and the good times that they managed to share. If it weren't for Emiko, he would never have learned to be fully accepting of others and use his strengths as a help to people; it made him try to be more responsible. There were times early on that he considered giving up, when it became difficult to survive on his own. She refueled his purpose for living in this world. He never really had to face guilt or how his decisions and actions affected others until that day Emiko saw him beat Glenn. His smile faded when he thought about how he disappointed her.

"I hated… comin' back n' seeing Emiko jus'… deflate." Merle said quietly of his time in Woodbury. "Every time, jus' … disappointment… Now, all three of 'em are lookin' at me like that. This time, I can't really say I blame 'em…I messed up bad. I thought I knew what Blake was capable of, but seein' how far he was really willin' t' go …. How far I went." He sighed. "Everything I had t' do, just t' find them… I wish I never met that prick."

"You have to let them know that, Merle." Michonne said quietly "You can't run away anymore… decisions always find a way to catch up. Where can we go without having to look over our shoulders?" she said before she started to hug him back to comfort him. "Admitting your missteps… that's not the same as groveling and it doesn't make you weak. There is a difference between extending an olive branch and pleading."

Merle took in what Michonne said this time. He knew what he had to do, strange as it felt. He looked down to Michonne, meeting her brown eyes. They just remained locked on each other, silent as they held each other. They each were going through their own issues and struggles. How they managed to find comfort in one another, they didn't really know. Still, here they were, trying to help each other.

Clearing her throat, Michonne pulled away from Merle and stood up from the table.

"We should get some rest." Michonne said before drinking a little more from her glass.

"It's only jus' got dark out." Merle said "Thought we had a fun-filled evening o' Operation planned." He joked.

"A surgeon shouldn't be inebriated." Michonne shot back with a playful smirk of her own.

"I s'pose you gotta rep t' uphold as a world-class Operation champion." He teased, earning a playful nudge from Michonne.

Merle mirrored her expression, glad to see Michonne in better spirits. He stood from the dining room table as well and followed her out of the room.

"Still have to hit the police stations." Michonne replied "We should make sure we're rested enough to travel… sleep off the buzz."

"I'll do a once around outside." Merle said.

Michonne nodded in agreement. As Merle stepped out of the house again, Michonne went over to the faucet and checked the water. It ran, but it was cold. She figured the pilot was out and started to go investigate. She made her way back down to the basement, believing the water heater would be down there. Upon finding it in the little "boiler room", she looked underneath and saw that the pilot was out. Going back upstairs and looking around, she couldn't believe that she couldn't find a single match anywhere. Making her way back down to the boiler room, she found a butane lighter with a long, flexible nozzle in the small toolbox on the floor in the corner beside the steps. She took the device from the toolbox and tried to light it. She sighed and chucked it back into the toolbox when she had no success. Knowing that she had no matches, she made her way back upstairs.

After a while, Merle turned into the hallway just as Michonne emerged from the basement and he gave report of the area being clear. He'd blocked of some of the doors with nearby pieces of heavy furniture, which got him a little bit of a glare from Michonne.

"You concerned 'bout lil' ol' me, Michonne?" Merle smirked.

"We need to stay strong. If there's a lot of guns there, it's gonna be a lot of back and forth…" she answered as went into the master bedroom and started rifling through the drawer.

"Michonne, I might have a lil' grey, but I'm damn sturdy." He almost bragged. "Find anythin' good?"

"A padlocked gun cabinet in the basement." Michonne answered "Some food and first aid…looks like someone was a bit of a survivalist."

"Pretty ironic…." Merle thought aloud. "All the dust in here… I'm guessin' the survivalist croaked early on."

"Lucky for us." Michonne exhaled, before chuckling. "That's a thing to say, isn't it?"

"Well, we need it a lot more than them carcasses piled outside." Merle reasoned "So yeah… lucky for us."

Merle's eyes stayed on her as she set her bag on the dresser and opened the drawer, pulling out some fresh, dry clothes. She pulled out an academy t-shirt and a pair of dark cargo jeans and walked over to Merle.

"Here." Michonne said, holding out the clothing to him "Shouldn't really be walking around in wet clothes."

"You scarin' me with all the niceness, darlin'." Merle joked.

"Are you saying you prefer the silent treatment?" Michonne mused back.

"Not at all." Merle chuckled.

The older Dixon graciously accepted the fresh clothes and looked at Michonne for a moment before his eyes fell to the folded clothing in his hands.

"Listen, 'Chonne." Merle started. "I really meant what I said earlier; I might not understand it all, but I'll listen. N' if you gotta cry… I'm there, too."

"Thank you for that." Michonne nodded, offering a small smile.

Merle returned her nod and watched her as she headed toward the master bathroom with her bag and katana.

"We got hot water?" Merle inquired.

"Pilot's out." Michonne said. "I need a shower, if it's cold, so be it." She added with a shrug.

Merle told her he had some matches and that he'd try to get the pilot going, urging her to wait about an hour before going to clean up.

"You're really trying to get off the hook for shooting me." Michonne teased.

"Is it workin'?" Merle mused back.

Michonne scoffed a chuckle and smirked. "All right, we're good… the heater's in the basement."

Merle nodded, almost breathing a sigh of relief. He started to head out of the room to see about the water heater.

"By the way, ''Chonne" is a much better nickname than 'darlin'" Michonne mentioned as he walked out, not seeing the little smirk that played on his lips.

….

Finally, the two were able to take their hot showers and dress in fresh clothes. When Merle came out of the bathroom, putting on the academy shirt Michonne gave him. His eyes scanned the room, not seeing Michonne, but hearing metal scraping lightly against metal. He followed the sound to the walk in closet and saw the katana wielder, her hair tied up in a bun with a few loose dreadlocks sweeping against her radiant skin. She was looking at the clothing that was hanging on one side of the closet. She wanted something a little more breathable to sleep in for the night and the leggings she was currently wearing felt a little restricting at times. Finding the softest pair of sweatpants she'd ever laid hands on, Michonne took them off the hanger and looked them over for a minute.

Michonne noticed Merle's form out of the corner of her eye and looked over her shoulder at him, her warm, chocolate brown eye as shimmering and radiant as her soft skin. It seemed like he was just taking in the sight of her. Her graceful neck and toned arms and shoulders. How soft she looked when she wasn't so guarded.

"We did well today." Michonne spoke in her usual soft tone. "If the rain picks up, we could hit some more houses or stores along with the police stations." She draped the sweatpants over her arm and stepped toward the door way where the brute stood.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Merle nodded, his eyes never leaving her as she looked up at him. "Too bad our lil' getaway's gonna have t' come t' an end." He smirked.

"Is that why you're standing in the doorway? To keep it from ending?" Michonne chuckled.

"I do… enjoy when we're alone." The elder Dixon mused as he shifted to lean his back on the door frame so he could look at her straight on. "You really coulda kicked my ass after I kissed you, 'Chonne… "he said after a long silence.

"I could've…I didn't." Michonne answered.

"You could've… n' you didn't." Merle repeated. "Why? You can read people. You know what I was, what I aligned myself with… what I became 'cause of it?"

Michonne leaned her back against the wall just beside where Merle leaned and fingers fiddled with the sweatpants in her possession. She admitted to him that there was an interest on her end as well and that for a good portion of the time they knew each other, she didn't really know what to make of him. But then there was the little girl, knowing the lengths he would go to for her; that child was his heart. In a way, it was Emiko that helped decide what to think about Merle.

"What you were… whatever you think you are now… that's not the entirety." Michonne said. "The way you were with Cameron and Alissandre… Emiko… That's who you are. I see you… they way you look when you come back from runs or the fruitless searches for her mother… it weighs on you… every time." She added, seeing Merle squirm and look away slightly.

She walked over to him, tilting her head faintly to make him look at her. She placed a gentle hand on his stubbled cheek. She leaned up to him and placed a tender, lingering kiss on his firm lips. His body moved on instinct, turning to her as he slowly brought his right arm around her small waist and carded his hand through her dreads and cradling the back of her head. This kiss was different for him. It wasn't a making out kind of kiss like he was used to; it felt like something more… something better. In that moment, he felt light and wasn't in a rush to move onto to something else. When they pulled back from each other, he noticed a gentle smile on her face as she allowed her hand to slide down to his shoulder. He felt this pang of guilt for having kissed Michonne, knowing how he was before he met Emiko and he never told the katana weilder. She was the first woman in a very long time that he actually held such feelings for. She shook her head the moment he looked up at her again, trying to form words.

"We make mistakes and we learn from them…what matters is what you do from this point on." She said to him. "You're no Governor… that's clear enough." She spoke softly as she made her way out of the walk-in closet.

Merle was still reeling a bit from the kiss. It was the last thing he expected from her. His eyes followed after the woman for a moment as she went into the bathroom again to change her pants. It was clear to him that she was put off by his negative qualities, but he was relieved, happy that it wasn't all she saw of him. Still, he was still unsure of what the kiss meant and looked as though he was still pondering over it as she re-emerged from the bathroom wearing the sweatpants.

"I'm not a 'random hook-up', 'friends with benefits' type of person." Michonne said casually. "Just so you know."

The bruiser nodded as he walked over to the samurai, a gentle, crooked smirk on his face. Her eyes stayed on him as he sauntered over. Everything was still in that moment. She drew him into her like no one else. He quickly reflected on his past "relationships", they were few and far between… maybe only one, in truth. Most of his interactions with women were random trysts, as he wasn't even planning on settling down. It took the world falling apart around him and being on his own to realize how lonely he really was: no actual past loves to really speak of or anyone that he held such affections for. In his mind, he could only laugh at how foolish he had been most of his life. He could imagine his old self damning him to hell for feeling this way about such a woman. He didn't care. That old him could go to hell, he thought.

"Then we on the same page… 'cause I ain't lookin' for a hook up." Merle grinned slightly, his voice trailing off when he saw her soft, amused smile and locked eyes with her.

He slowly raised his hand and brushed her hair off of her shoulder and his fingers lingered as they ghosted up the side of her neck and across her cheek until he cradled the back of her head. He leaned in toward her, not even pausing for a second to let Michonne have a glimmer of a thought of pulling away from him. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. He only pulled back for a second before Michonne pulled him into her and reciprocated. Merle deepened the kiss and held her firmly in his embrace. Not even the booming thunder and near torrential rain hitting against the windows could break their focus on one another. Michonne didn't bother to break the kiss as she reached out to the dresser and fumbled around for that lantern to turn it off. She only succeeding in dimming it as the rest of her body started moving toward the bed along with Merle. It wasn't long before clothing started being tossed to the floor.

His hand and lips explored her, memorizing every womanly curve, every inch of her soft skin veiled in a scent that was sweet and flowery. Her body arched up to him slightly as he enthusiastically continued his ministrations. He loved catching glimpses of her biting her lip and panting softly as he brought her closer to the edge. He continued, not even looking away from her and violently opened the nightstand drawer beside him and rooting about inside it, feeling relieved when he found six condoms in the back corner of the drawer, grabbing one of the them, and stopped only briefly to open it and put it on.

Soon, he began to move back up, his tongue laving at her mahogany skin and leaving a moist, warm trail up her body and leaving love bites on inconspicuous places like the inside of her thigh or just below her navel. The lust in their eyes blazed brightly as their eyes stayed on one another. He kept drawing closer until he locked lips with her, groaning into her mouth as she ground against his already hardened member. Seeing that Merle was distracted, Michonne quickly rolled them over and placed herself in the dominant position, pinning Merle's arms to the mattress and smirking at him with a hint of playful mischief. She continued rolling her hips into him, grinding and making him breath out something that sounded like a pleading whimper.

"Didn't think I'd hear a sound like that out of you." Michonne murmured teasingly in his ear before nibbling the lobe and chuckling when he gave a low groan.

"Used t' bein' the one doin' the teasin' n' makin' demands…. I'm lovin' this." Merle mumbled as he lifted his head and captured her lips once more.

It was all back and forth, each taking turns being the dominant. Grinding and thrusting, hair pulling and groping, coaxing moans of sheer pleasure out of one another and working each other into a sweat until they were left trembling and panting, gazing at each other as their bodies were intertwined and slowly coming down from their heightened euphoria. For the longest time they lay there silently, side by side. Merle held Michonne in his arms. His hand absently smoothed over her back as he listened to the rain falling with this beautiful woman snuggled up to him, sleeping.

"Andre…." She mumbled.

Merle turned his head to look at her. Her expression seemed forlorn as she repeated his name again. He noticed her voice sounded sadder, as if she were crying in her dream. He thought about seeing her cry in the baby's room in one of the last houses they ransacked; he couldn't help but to conclude that Michonne once had a child of her own. Merle held Michonne tighter and kissed her bare forehead. As mighty and fearsome as the lioness can be, he saw that she had her hurts and more fragile aspects, no different from him. At her core, Merle did not question that she was more woman than any he'd come across. He wasn't letting her go. He'd be there as she needed him to be.

"Anything I can do, 'Chonne…I'm here." Merle murmured softly.

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So that's the end of this chapter. I really hope you enjoyed this one, guys.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all this, I really appreciate it.

I'm curious… how do you guys think or would like to see it end? Feel free to speculate!

As always – Thanks for sticking with me!