Hello, Darlings!

Tonight's chapter is so short that I decided to bring y'all a bonus chapter! I know, both are super short, but thats why its double chapter night!

Hope y'all enjoy and review like always.

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Thanks for reading everyone!

I walk outside to where Rick is.. He told Carol to watch Merle from trying anything stupid. I really doubt Merle would care who the hell's watching him.

I stop when I hear voices. Rick's not alone.

"I won't get mad." I hear Rick say. I approach them slower to him them finish the conversation but let him know I'm here at the same time.

"You should stop." I hear the other person say. Sounds like Carl.

"Stop what?" Rick asks

"Being the leader." He says simply. I stop before they can see me. "Let Hershel and Daryl handle things. You deserve a rest."

I clear my throat and they both look at me. Carl looks down awkwardly and moves back inside while Rick looks back to the field.

I walk next to him and look around too for a few minutes without saying a word. Then I make sure no one is around and there's no threat out there and ask without looking at him

"Are you gonna do it?"

He looks in my direction once more "what?"

"Quitting. Letting Hershel and Daryl in charge of the group."

Theres silence again. He sighs after a short pause. "Sometimes I wish I could do that"

"No one is forcing you to do anything" I say finally looking at him.

"I know. But still." He nods. He walks towards the entrance door.

"Field's filled with walkers." Rick says. We stand next to the group "I didn't see any snipers out there"

"We'll get up in the guard tower," Daryl says looking at me. "take out half them walkers, give these guys a chance to fix the fence."

Wow, seems like it'll be a busy day for me.

I don't argue. Better than staying in here.

"Or use some of the cars to put the bus in place." The black lady, who's name seems to be Michonne, suggests and Hershel shakes his head.

"We can't access the field without burning through our bullets."

"So we're trapped in here." Glenn joins angrily. He's changed a lot too. "There's barely any food or ammo."

"Come on. Been here before. We'll be all right." I tell him trying to calm him down

"That's when it was just us." What does that mean? "Before there was a snake in the nest."

Daryl and I turn to look at him angrily. Everyone notices it.

Oh, fuck no!

"Man, we gonna go through this again?" Daryl growls "Look, Merle's staying here. He's with us now. Get used to it. All y'all."

My brother walks upstairs fuming with anger. He prefers to avoid them, otherwise he'll try to kill them.

I give the others a death glare and shake my head.

"This is not gonna work, Rick. You need to do something about it!" I hear Glenn say.

I growl while Rick says "Glenn, listen to me for a second..."

"No, Rick. If you're not gonna do anything I will."

"And what's that you gonna do, Glenn.?" I ask. They look at me with wide eyes "Quite a pair you growing"

"Just relax, ok?" Rick tells me "We can't jump on each other's throats now, we gotta stick together."

"That's exactly what we're trying to do." I argue

"Just try to see it from his perspective. Maybe we should.."

"Hey, don't.." Glenn interrupts Rick and gets closer "All I'm saying is that Maggie's right, okay?! We should isolate him for a bit, see how that goes and then.."

"fuck you!" I tell the Asian "Merle's not dangerous! I can sleep in the damn cell with him if you want him under surveillance, so don't be a bunch of pussies and get your panties in a bunch over..."

"Hey" Rick warns me

"Seriously, Rick. I don't think Merle living here's really gonna work." Glenn continues

"I can't kick him out" he responds

"I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you, Rick!"

"Look, Glenn. I get what you're aiming at. I'm on your side. Really, but you gotta understand. Even after all he's done to you, other people and even Daryl, Merle's still their brother."

"Who cares?"

"I care." I say "He may be a complete asshole but you can't just kick him out and expect me to stay with you at the same time. Maybe you didn't live with Shane after all he did, but we did live with him after he tried to kill us. In case y'all don't remember, those were the injuries that made Lori's decision of abandoning us in the middle of nowhere"

Both men only look at me and how mad and tired this makes me.

Hershel jumps in the conversation after listening to all that and thinking about it. We look at him

"She's right. Merle may be erratic, but don't underestimate his loyalty to his family. And he's got military experience. We could use that too. We can't exactly lose more people these days, Rick."

"What if we solved both problems at once? Deliver Merle to the Governor. Bargaining chip. Give him his traitor, maybe declare a truce" Glenn suggests making me frown again

"Might as well kill my brother! You really believe that shit's gonna work?"

"Why not?"

I fold my arms.

Is he seriously asking that?

Rick looks up and sighs.

I walk to my brother's cell. He smiles when he sees me.

"Still wearing that hoodie"

I smirk and stop in front of him "Its Daryl's. I ran out of supplies."

He chuckles. "No wonder why its too big for you"

"I'm only five inches smaller than him, last time I checked. Plus, I have a bloody shirt and a ripped pair of jeans with guts all over it. I ain't wearing that shit ever again."

He smirks and tells me to sit somewhere.

I approach him and give him some tape so he can fix his... Bayonet...Thing... I still don't know how to call it.

He starts taping it.

"Daryl and the Asian guy are not in good terms right now, are they"

I sigh "they want you out. Not gonna happen"

"Why?"

"No you no us. They gotta keep you" I tell him standing in front of him.

He nods. "You're on their side, working for them so you can keep me like a pet."

"Nope." I say walking forward. I sit next to him on the bed "I'm on their side so no one gets hurt"

He stops for a moment to look at me. He looks a little pissed, but still calm. He snorts "As if they cared when you got hurt." I only look at him wondering how he knows about that. "They didn't seem to need you as much back in winter, did they?"

"Daryl told you about this?"

"Not like you can't hide a bite mark for ever. Had to ask"

Yeah... Should've guessed it "You made him tell you"

"Daryl didn't talk. It was the blondie that told me about it." my brother mutters getting back to work.

"Beth? What did she tell you?" I frown slightly

"everything she knows."

I nod.

"She's a good pretty little girl, you know?"

Woah! "Don't even look at her."

"Who do you think I am?" Merle frowns without bothering to lift his head. "I'm not into kids"

"They're not bad people they're just scared."

Merle raises an eyebrow and looks at me for a second. He asks "And you're not?"

I think for a moment. I wont respond to that

"With or without me ain't much difference, you know the governor's coming. We shouldn't be here" Merle chuckles. "But, you would kiss ass if they told you to. Your sheriff says jump, you ask how high"

He looks down. I'm kinda worried about him. The look he has on his eyes tell me he's not feeling so good.

I look at him carefully.

He stops working on his arm. I'm so glad he's not being an asshole right now.

"You're my big brother, dumbass. I would do anything for you. But don't ask me to do something that'll hurt the people I care for."

Merle sighs and nods. He asks if I'm sure we care for them.

"yes"

He shakes his head slightly. "I love you, princess. But Officer Friendly ain't my type."

I scoff. There's nothing more to say...

I watch Merle finish with his arm and look at me.

I see Hershel coming closer and my brother looking back down to where he is.

Merle smiles and greets "You're the farmer, Hershel."

"And you're the black sheep, Merle." The old man replies. I only look at them

"How'd you lose it?" My brother asks calmly looking at his nonexistent leg.

"I was bit."

"Bit? You hack it off yourself?" He asks letting Hershel in and sit somewhere near us while replying.

"No. Rick did."

"Hm" Merle snorts "Awful kindly of him."

"Saved my life. Gave me more time with my family." Hershel tells him and pauses. He looks at me and then keeps talking "Gave you more time with yours. Can't put a price on that."

Merle looks at me and mutters back to the man in front of us "Can't put a price on anything anymore."

Silence. Fucking uncomfortable silence.

Hershel takes a small book out of his pocket. He shows it and if it wasn't for the golden title on it I wouldn't know what it is.

It's a bible

"I found this in one of the cells." He tells my brother. We look at him."Lost more than the Good Book there for a while. Lost my way."

I don't know where he's going with this. He should know that we've never been religious.

He quotes

"'And if your right hand offends you, cut it off, cast it from you.

For it is profitable that one of your members should perish...'"

I relate that to Merle's right hand. I keep looking at him and listening quietly but suddenly my brother replies

"'And not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.' Matthew 5:29 and 30."

I look at him with wide eyes. Merle knows the content in the bible?! I mean, I've read tons of books, but never been interested by the bible. And Merle knows its content?

My mind just exploded!

I keep listening.

"Woodbury had a damn fine library. You'd love it." He tells me knowing how much I love reading. I smirk. "One of the only things I miss about it."

Then his look changes to a sad one and then a darker evil glare. He warns Hershel "When the Governor returns, he's gonna kill me first. He'll take Michonne" he points to me with his eyes fixed on the farmer "Then he's gonna kill my baby girl just to have fun and after making him watch, he'll kill my brother." He says pointing up to the cells. I freeze.

"Then your girls. Glenn, Carl, the baby, whoever else is left. He'll save Rick for last so he can watch his family and friends die ugly. That's who you're dealing with."

I look at Hershel. He just nods and stands up. He only replies "Only God knows" and walks away seeming disturbed by it.

Merle looks down again.

I'm worried about him...