"Merle!" Daryl shouted, "Lucy!"

"Maybe you should keep it down," Martinez commented, "You don't want to attract any unwanted attention."

Daryl scowled, "What do you suggest?"

Martinez didn't say anything. A walker stumbled out of an alley; Daryl took aim and shot it, killing it. As he walked by, he retrieved his arrow, "If you want to go back to the others, I won't stop you." He was becoming anxious; he was desperate to find them. The constant reminders of his failures were getting to him too, he was starting to become the Daryl he had been a year before, the Daryl with a temper who hated everybody and was angry all the time. But if he could find Merle and Lucy…

"Merle, get your ugly ass out here!" he shouted.

Martinez sighed loudly.

Daryl turned around, "If you want to go back to the others, I won't stop you. I do better on my own anyways. Besides, I'm not going back until I find them."

"And if they've already been found, or are at the house?"

Daryl shrugged, "Y'all know where I am."

Martinez sighed again.

"Just go!" Daryl turned and kept going.

Merle stopped, "You hear that?"

"So, you're talking to me again."

Merle frowned. Lucy bit the inside of her bottom lip.

"Merle, I know you're…disappointed. I understand, but…you were just so hard to talk to back then. Things are different now, we've both changed." She took his hand

They heard the shout again; they could almost make out the words. "We can talk about this later, Lucy."

For a moment, Lucy was taken aback by his use of her real name. She frowned as he pulled his hand from hers, and walked towards the shouting. Lucy followed him, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it in case they were walking into trouble.

Daryl called out their names again, "Boy, you got a death wish?" Merle asked, appearing around the corner. "Can't you keep it down, or do you want to bring the hordes down on us?"

"Thank God!" Daryl shouted, seeing Merle and Lucy. He slung his crossbow over his shoulder, and ran to them. His arms wrapped around Lucy, hugging her, she smiled and returned the hug. Then she caught the look in Merle's eyes and frowned, pulling away from Daryl.

Daryl looked at Merle, he'd never hugged his brother before, and he wasn't going to start now, he settled for placing his hand on his shoulder in an awkward pat.

The trio met back up with the others, and they headed for the house. Lucy and Merle didn't speak a word as they walked. They stole occasional glances at each other; Lucy was nervous, and slightly fearful of what Merle would say to her once they were alone again. Merle didn't know what he'd say to her at all, he was struggling inside.

He understood what Lucy had said, she hadn't been lying. Way back then, if Daryl had told Merle about what he'd gone through, Merle probably would've lost his mind. And thinking back on their past, it was no wonder Lucy had been terrified of telling him things. If she had of told him she was pregnant, how would he have reacted? He wasn't the kind of person she could open up to, Daryl was.

It just pained him that she and Daryl both saw each other as confidants, but were too afraid to confide in him. And it hurt him that she had been so scared of him, that the only reason they were together now was because she was worried that he would hurt Daryl. The only other person he had ever cared about and he hadn't even realized how much he cared about Lucy until he lost her.

When they got back to the house, everyone except Hershel and Carol had fallen asleep. Lucy went straight upstairs; Merle went into the kitchen to eat. Hershel walked in and sat down next to him at the table, "It's a little late tonight to-"

He stopped when Merle shook his head, "I'm not."

"What happened?"

Merle frowned, "It's not something I want to talk about."

Hershel pursed his lips, but nodded. He stood and hobbled into the other room, ready to go to sleep.

After Merle ate, he went upstairs. He stopped at the door to the room he was sharing with Lucy. Did he just go in there? Did he knock? Would she want to talk to him? He frowned and sighed as he lifted his knuckles, knocking on the wood. He didn't wait for her to respond; he opened the door and leaned against the frame. Lucy was in bed.

She lifted her head, looking at him, then laid her head back down on the pillow. He heard her sigh. He walked into the room, shutting the door behind him, and took his shoes off. He sat down on the edge of the bed; their backs were to each other. "You're not going to eat?" he asked.

She didn't reply.

He sighed again.

"I'm not hungry," she said as he lay down.

Merle turned his head, looking at her for a moment. She didn't move. He turned over onto his side. He looked at the band around his finger.

"Are you still…" she trailed off on her own. The mattress squeaked a little as she rolled over.

He rolled over too, so that they were facing each other. He shrugged slightly, "I'm over it."

"Really?" her eyebrows knitted together and her forehead creased.

"After everything I've done to you, you had every right to not want to see me. I can't blame you for thinking I might hurt Daryl." He paused. She reached over, cautiously, and gently placed her hand on the side of his face.

"Merle…"

He sighed, "I wish I could've been a better brother…I wish I could've been a better boyfriend. Somebody y'all could've trusted and depended on. I wish I had of never left him, I wish I had of never hurt you."

"That's the past."

"I know, but it hurts."

"Only if you let it."

They laid there in silence. Lucy frowned slightly; she looked at the pillow, away from Merle.

"Do you still want to marry me?" she asked, still not looking at him, afraid of the answer.

"If you'll still have me," he whispered.

A smile touched the corners of her lips, and they twitched slightly. She moved closer and kissed him gently. He smiled.