I feel terrible! Its been a LOOOOOOOOONG time since I have updated. I`ll have more time to update soon. I promise! It will probably be broken until my medical stuff is taken care of but there will be a time when I can update to the best of my abilities!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Enjoy!

Merle groaned and rolled over. He had made a mistake, well at the time it had seen like a very, very good idea but now it was a mistake. He had fucked the nurse. Now he was going to have to deal with a clingy woman in a thirteen square mile area. He would never be able to get rid of her. It had been good, he had to give her that one, the things she did with her tongue were amazing but it didn't change the fact he was a 'hit it and quit it' kind of guy. He didn't do relationships or anything more than a one night stand. He sat up before getting to his feet and grabbing his jeans from the floor.

"Merle-" She sounded like she wanted to say something but held back. He didn't want to look at her, he was ashamed, kind of. He had taken advantage of her, she had been crying and when she kissed him he had only been thinking with his second head, the one who constantly got him in trouble. "Thanks. It's been a while since I've had sex. I needed that." She sounded almost relieved and Merle pulled on his pants and left the room. He had made things complicated and he didn't want things to be complicated. He sat on the couch and Brutus walked over and set his head on his knee. Merle patted the dog's head and tried to contemplate what had just happened.

"Merle, if I knew you would be this quiet after sex I would have done that a long time ago." Susan's voice came from the small hallway and Merle scowled darkly. "What's wrong?"

"That ain't any of yer business." He glared at her and she shook her head with a wry smile.

"I never took you for a person who regrets having sex." She walked over and he resisted the urge to leave the room. "Merle, we are two consenting adults." He closed his eyes and rubbed at his face.

"I ain't wantin' a woman houndin' me at all hours of the day." He spoke the words through gritted teeth and Brutus licked at his hand. Merle resisted the urge to push the dog away. He hadn't wanted the dog either but the mutt had adopted him.

"I never said I wanted a relationship. I wanted sex. I got sex. I'm happy with it. I'm forty nine years old, Merle, I don't want to chase a guy down. I don't even know if I have the energy for a relationship. I have the energy for sex but I am too tired to try and maintain a relationship." She sounded reasonable as she sat beside him and Merle grimaced, moving away from her. "Keep in mind I will still be coming over and nagging you to eat and to bathe and everything else because you need to stay healthy, I would do nothing less for anyone else in dire straits but remember this. In the back of my mind, I will always be hoping for a repeat of what just happened." Merle stood up and grabbed his jacket from where he had tossed it earlier that morning.

"I'm goin' outside. Don't even think about followin' me. Clear out before I git back." He gave a sharp whistle for Brutus to follow him before he let the small house with a slam of the door. The night air was a tad chilly and Merle regretted not putting on a shirt. Brutus followed beside him without a sound. Lights were on in many of the buildings and Merle glowered at the ground.

"Merle. I would like a word with you." It was Eleanor and Merle let out a nasty curse. "Merle, please cooperate with me on this one. I need your help." He didn't want to, he really didn't but he grudgingly walked towards the big house and stood in the doorway. He wouldn't go inside, it was a rich man's house and he didn't like the feeling of being too dirty to touch anything. Eleanor's lined face peeked around a corner and she smiled.

"Thank you, Merle. I've just been having difficulties with the new guy, Rick, and his crew. I can tell they are getting antsy. Well not them, him. He seems to be kind of belligerent." She gave him another soft smile and Merle gritted his teeth.

"I ain't causin' any trouble with Rick. I hate the man ten ways t' Sunday but I ain't gunna put him in his place." He ground it out and Eleanor shook her head as if irritated by his lack of understanding to what she was saying.

"No, I am going to be the one to talk to him but in all honesty I need help. I would ask one of the boys but they aren't threatening and if Bree trusted you with her life then why can't I?" She said it almost like a command but phrased it as a rather polite question. It made Merle bristle.

"The little lady was different." He muttered the words under his breath, not really wanting the older woman to hear him. Bree had been different, a short little creature with a hard sort of innocence. She had practically begged to be taken care of and because Daryl pushed him away, he moved to her. Hoping he could slip into the place her brother's had left. It wasn't a perfect fit but it had worked. Eleanor on the other hand meant nothing to him. Well she was Bree's mother but that was it. He had no other connection to her.

"I need your help, Merle. This Rick character had started talking about taking weapons and forcing us to comply with what he wishes. Now I am pretty sure it is because he thinks we might kick him out. Now the thought had never crossed my mind but I've been hearing rumors that he plans to try and take the main house and put himself in charge." What she said seemed reasonable enough to Merle. He had thought it once or twice but he never wanted to lead and with Bree he knew his place had been secured. Rick was a man you didn't say no too. Merle honestly believed the man was more dangerous than himself and that was saying something. "I am scared, Merle. I'm not Briana and I am not my boys. I don't know how to handle violent situations. If Briana was here she would know what to do but I am clueless." Merle ground his teeth together and knew he had been caught hook, line and sinker. He was one giant asshole but she was Bree's mother and the old woman needed to be protected.

"Fine, I'll come with ya to the sheriff's house an' then act as a buffer between ya an' the idiots inside." He said it grudgingly and she smiled at him brightly. He hated how the smile reminded him of Bree, he hated how it made his heart clench in his chest. He hated how it made him feel. He liked being a heartless bastard. It was easier to deal with in this world.

Eleanor was worried, she wasn't like Briana or the twins. She hated confrontation, she could feel her palms sweat as she even thought about it. When she had threatened Merle that had been different. Merle wasn't going to hurt her. She trusted him to an extent but Rick was dangerous. He was volatile and reckless and someone was going to get hurt if she didn't calm the situation down.

The night was quiet except for the croaking of the frogs in the sloughs and the sound of their shoes on the gravel. Brutus panted every so often and Eleanor was reminded of Briana and she hoped that Merle had been right and that one day they would both walk through those gates no worse for wear. The house she had assigned for the small group was lit up and she carefully walked up the porch stairs before knocking on the door.

Eleanor knew she was old but with age came experience and she knew the look on the sheriff's face as he opened the door. He was up to no good and that suspicion was only furthered by how his eyes narrowed as he realized it was her.

"What do you want?" It was spoken gruffly as if he were taking to a disobeying child or an unwanted guest. She didn't appreciate the tone he was taking with her.

"I wish to speak to you and your group, Rick." She took a step forward and he stopped her with his hand. She felt her heart pound, if he was going to be difficult she wasn't sure what she could do.

"No. There is no need for you to talk to me. Especially when you are rubbing elbows with his sort." He jerked his hand at Merle who was standing at the bottom of the stair with Brutus and Eleanor felt her eyes narrow.

"Do not take that tone with me, young man. Need I remind you that it was my family who built this place, my family who give you food, shelter, power, and a home? This is not your world, Rick Grimmes, this is my world. When I politely ask to come in, you get you tea pot out and ask me one teaspoon or two." She pointed her finger at him and placed her other hand on her hip. "Merle is here for my safety. He does not want to be here anymore than you want him too but unlike you he listened when I asked him for his help. Now stand aside, young man. I wish to speak to you and your group." She gave him the most disapproving look she could muster but he didn't seem to be budging.

"Rick, let the woman in. She is right, we are guests." It was Hershall and she watched as Rick slowly moved aside, as if the entire motion pained him. She stepped forward.

"Thank you." The words were said in the most polite yet detached tone she could muster. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweating betraying her smooth and calm demeanour. Eleanor wasn't a person who liked confrontation.

"I'll let you in but he stays outside." Rick jerked his finger at Merle and Eleanor looked at the rough looking man.

"Well I say he is to stay by my side until my business is concluded. He won't cause you any harm, except maybe to your pride." She glowered at him and motioned for Merle to come up the stairs. He did and she stepped into the well-lit house. Hershall was standing at the base of the stairs, leaning on his crutches.

"Good evening, Eleanor. You are looking well." He gave her a warm smile and Eleanor returned it with a small nod.

"Dr. Erwin is to thank for that one, Hershall." She gave the older man a warm smile of her own and he motioned for her to follow him into the living room. She could hear Merle and Brutus behind her as she stepped into the rather spacious living room. The people inside either looked at her with slightly guilty expressions or wariness. She noticed how every expression turned to utter hatred and anger when they caught sight of Merle.

"Everyone, Ms. Hooper would like to speak with us." Hershall sat down beside what Eleanor believed to be his daughter, one of them. She was fairly sure the man had two.

"I know what you guys are planning to do." As she expected several people looked at their hands or feet, others looked angry and she sat down on the edge of an end table. "I am warning you now. It won't work." She fished her key card out of her flannel shirt pocket and held it up.

"These are more than just key cards to unlock houses and gates. These are the very lifeline of our system. They aren't just cards, they are tracking devices. These cards keep track of how many people are in the compound at a single given time. They tell the entire system who you are, your health, your age. Everything that you told the nurse or doctors during processing, is held in your key card." She noticed the surprised looks on their faces and she knew it would come to a shock. Everyone knew what the key cards did, how they functioned but no one understood how intrinsic they were to the system.

"Why the fuck do you need to track us?" It was the Asian boy and Eleanor tucked her key card away as everyone else mirrored that statement. She could feel the hostility rising in the small room.

"We don't. They system does. Briana set up an elaborate system for the food and ammo reserves. Her underground bunker, her large pantry. She didn't want to spend all day handing out the allotted food and supplies, so when she built this place, she implemented a system that would do it for her." She shifted on the end table and looked around the room, seeing if they understood.

"So what you are saying is that the key cards keep track of our needs and deliver supplies to us in accordance to that." It was the black woman, Michonne she believed her name was and Eleanor smiled at her kindly. A voice of reason in a situation that could erupt in violence.

"Exactly." She turned to look at Rick. "Your plan won't work because as soon as you kill me or take my card, it erases the data off of mine. The card change hands so many times that it is easier to keep track of them based off of your finger prints. As soon as you touch a card, the previous entry is deleted and yours is implemented. You take my card while Briana is outside of the walls. The handouts stop. The underground bunker isn't accessible to anyone. Even I can't get in. Briana's is the only person with the ability to go down there and I am the only reason the handouts are still coming. As soon as my card is erased, the handouts stop and cannot start again unless I hold the card within three minutes or else we get locked out and the only way to get back into the system is with Briana's card." She shrugged her shoulders. This is why they didn't tell people, people would freak out but she needed them to understand that a hostile takeover wasn't a good option. In fact it wasn't even on the table.

"She's dead." Rick's ever present bluntness made Eleanor grit her teeth. The man was an idiot, a rude and belligerent idiot.

"You take my card, you doom everyone here to starve. The gates and houses lock down and there is no escape for you. I cannot access the system. I rely on the handouts just as much as you do but remember, you take my key card, you try to force a regime change and I will make sure you and your friends are locked in with the rest of us. As soon as that happens, the power is cut off, the water is cut off, the food, is cut off, medicine, shelter, etc. Are you sure you want to doom us all, Rick? Are you sure you wish to rely on your paranoid delusions?" She stood up and stared at everyone. "The thought of kicking you out never crossed my mind. You have all assimilated very well. You all do your jobs and have made friends. I haven't seen a single hint of violence from any one of you but if you continue on this path, I will be forced to eject you from here. This is no longer the survival of the fittest, in here, the survival of the group means more than the individual. Briana showed you all that when she dealt with Ben. Make no mistakes that if you step a single toe out of line, my boys will come at you at your weakest, throw you in a truck and drop you off out there. You won't have anything but the clothes on your backs." She narrowed her eyes in the hopes to convey her meaning. She didn't want to do it but she didn't want them to know it was an empty threat.

"What about him? What about fucking Merle? He's the worst kind of human being there is, yet you still let him live here. He's the reason Daryl is dead. They took Daryl because they thought he was Merle!" It was Glenn and Eleanor pinned him with a sharp gaze. He looked sufficiently cowed after a few seconds.

"Merle spent weeks looking for my little girl and his brother, weeks scouring the shore lines of the river, hoping to find something, anything. What did you do? You took their word for it. You wrote them off as dead. Merle stays because he had earned his place. Now I suggest you start earning yours." She glared at all of them, anger burning hot in her chest. These people had their heads screwed on upside down and backwards. She motioned for Merle to follow her out of the house and he did so silently. Brutus made more sound than the man did as they left the building.

"Ya didn't have t' defend me back there, ma'am. I have done sum terrible things. I ain't worth defendin'." He muttered it out and Eleanor stopped before turning around and pointing a finger in his face. He stared at it in surprise.

"Don't you start! You took care of my little girl. You tried to be the brothers she lost and she loved you for it. I loved you for it. I lost my sons out there and then I lost Briana but you and your brother brought her back to me. That is worth a thousand offers of friendship from anyone. I defended you as I would my own child and I will do so till my dying breath. You have earned your spot in my family, Merle and don't you forget it." She slumped her shoulders, suddenly tired. She never wanted to do anything like that again. Briana was so good at dealing with problems and Eleanor knew she was lacking. "I am tired, Merle, would you be a dear and escort me back to the main house?" He said nothing as she took his arm in hers and started walking.

Rick's psychosis is getting worse. Uh oh! I base his attitude kind of off the comics because near the end of Compendium two he is kind of REALLY paranoid, like severely paranoid. So I decided to base his reaction on that rather than the just plain crazy tv show Rick.
Also, I played The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, it is actually really good. It made me miss Merle like crazy though. Micheal Rooker is a great actor and he did a wonderful job but it is still really sad.