So, so sorry that this has taken OVER A YEAR to update! Lost my muse, and then the way that this was supposed to take. I'm trying to get back into things, though, so please let me know what you think.

Two weeks after fleeing Woodbury, the weather turned noticeably cooler, with the sun setting earlier and the wind sending leaves floating to the ground. Daryl and Sera would sleep either in the Jeep, curled together for warmth, or in the single tent. Merle and Martinez took turns on watch nightly, the other curling up beside a barely burning fire. More than one tent would have taken too long to break down with each move, and everyone agreed that it was better to have an extra in case the one was lost.

Seraphim had discovered that rabbit went down easier than squirrel, and didn't turn her stomach as much once she finished eating, so she mostly ate it while the men stuck with anything else to make sure the pregnant woman ate enough. Her flat stomach had begun to show just a bit of a pooch below her navel, though her jeans still fit her slim figure well. Merle had found a stash of maternity pants and some drawstring skirts that would suit her fine in the coming months.

"Gonna need to find someplace more permanent." Daryl reset the snare Sera had laid the night before as Merle added the rabbit to the line at his waist. "Girl's good, and willing to keep moving for a while, but she's gonna get too big to run at some point down the line."

Merle nodded. "She's gettin' sick most mornings, now."

"'S why you're out here doin' this instead of her. She needs her rest."

Grinning, the older Dixon nodded. "I don't remember our ma doing as much as your girl when you were in her belly."

"Yeah, Sera says most women can work just fine until they have the kid. Just not lift too much or try to move too fast."

"And you said Officer Friendly's old lady was carrying when ya'll split up?"

Daryl nodded.

"You know that bitch is sitting in the car while the others do all the work." Pointing imperiously, Merle effected a high pitched, snooty tone. "You guys go make sure the place is clear and fix dinner. I'm going to take a nap."

Daryl snickered, though he had found himself thinking about the group more and more as time wore on, especially Chickadee and Carl. Were they still alive? Were they eating enough? Were the Greenes still traveling with the others? There were so many unanswered questions there, and Daryl felt guilt for leaving the group when he had begun to think of some of them as family.

While thoughts of the larger group bothered him from time to time, he was enjoying the changes within his brother, and with the relationship between the two of them. A clean and sober Merle was something that hadn't happened since the older brother was thirteen, and he had proven himself to be ornery without being dirty to Sera. Daryl was pleasantly surprised to find that Merle's steps, though never as quiet as his own, had lightened along with his dark moods. The daily trips into the woods were far more productive without heavy footfalls and dour grumblings to chase away any viable game. No one had drawn his ire, so it was yet to be seen if he would react with violence or cruel words. He and Daryl were sharing a leading role, and the brothers thrived on the new level of respect they were experiencing.

It had taken Daryl proving time and again that his sense of direction was far superior to Merle's, but the older brother had eventually begun to see that the younger man was more than capable. Daryl had long since bowed to Merle and Martinez's opinions and advice on places to camp, as they were both used to scouting for unfriendly people. Sera was in charge of setting snares at night and for hunting with Daryl on the mornings when her nausea eased up for a time, though she mostly spent afternoons gathering edible or medicinal plants from around their camping areas and turning them into something useful.

Returning to camp, Daryl made his way over to where Sera was sitting by the low fire, sewing a tear on one of Merle's pairs of pants, for a welcoming kiss. Merle still snickered at his little brother's sweetness, but had to admit that the redhead was something to hold on to. She gave Daryl something to fight for, and gave the others something to hope for. Hope was something Merle had never put much stock in, but he felt lighter when he looked at her, and the feeling was something he would fight to keep.

Martinez could be heard snoring under his thin blanket. He had taken to keeping watch at night, feeling more useful in that capacity rather than attempting to hunt with the Dixon brothers. The men would occasionally take turns making forays ahead of the others when they were traveling, scouting and checking for either an excess of walkers or for signs of the living, and the Latino had proven to have an instinct for knowing when it was time to leave an area.

Sera had warmed some oatmeal for breakfast, and the brothers were just finishing when she spoke up quietly, her voice carrying on the early autumn breeze. "We're gonna have to find someplace to hunker down for the winter. Game will go to ground, and the roads aren't going to be plowed or salted."

"There's a few houses around, a bit further up the creek." Martinez's voice, muffled by the curl of his blanket, filled the small camp and alerted the others to his wakefulness. "The two I've seen aren't defensible against anything at all, but we might be able to find something better if we keep looking."

"Tomorrow, after breakfast?" Daryl flicked his eyes to his brother and waited for a nod before continuing. "We'll eat and pack up, then take the Jeep. Maybe try something up in the hills."

Merle sneered. "Those dead assholes don't seem to like trekin' up anythin' higher than a slope."

The rest of the day was spent making repairs to weapons and clothing, with Sera also setting up her solar oven with some dough that would eventually become a sort of flat biscuit to go with their dinner stew. Daryl shaved decent pieces of wood down to make new bolts for his crossbow while Merle cleaned squirrel and rabbit pelts in preparation for Sera to sew them together. She had mentioned wanting a warmer blanket for the baby, and he was inclined to give her anything he could after taking such good care of his brother. Martinez exchanged stories with the others as he cleaned the firearms and sharpened any dull blades.

The next morning, they ate quietly and broke camp while the sun still hung low on the eastern horizon. The air was sharp that morning, showing their exhalations as puffs of mist as they worked together. Sera rubbed at her lower back, and then groaned when Daryl's callused hand replaced her own, working the kinks out quickly and returning feeling to her left cheek and thigh.

Martinez chuckled at the sound and Merle rolled his eyes. "Get a tent, you assholes!"

Daryl's ears were tipped in an endearing shade of scarlet as Sera smirked and pulled him towards the still intact structure.

The road leading away from their most recent camp had seen better days even before the world went to hell, and was now little more than asphalt-colored gravel in places. Sera drove carefully, avoiding what potholes she could and swerving off the shoulder and into the high grass to navigate around wrecked or simply abandoned cars. Daryl concentrated on keeping them away from what was left of Woodbury, while Merle and Martinez busied themselves with observing their surroundings on the lookout for suitable accommodations.

"Slow down, Catchfly." Merle had adopted Daryl's pet name for the redhead almost immediately, and used it more than her actual name. "Wanna get a look at that sign up there."

The large green sign informed passing motorists that Meriwether County Correctional Facility would be reached in one mile. The following sign, this one a bullet-riddled yellow, warned that hitchhikers could be escaped prisoners. Daryl chewed his thumb and turned his head to make eye contact with his brother in the back seat, the two of them having spent so much time together without speaking to know what the other was thinking.

Martinez broke the silence. "There would be walls. Fences. Some nice high towers to use as lookouts."

"Probably a shit ton of walkers, though." Sera shook her head at her husband. "It would take more than we've got to clear the place."

"Not if we went slow. Did a bit at a time."

Merle hummed his agreement. "Wouldn't hurt to look."

Taking a side road, the Jeep came out on a hill overlooking the impressive structure. The fences of the prison were indeed intact. The walls were tall and strong. Nothing and no one would be able to get to them once they were ensconced safely behind the large doors. Unfortunately, the hundreds of walker inmates shuffling about would make such things nearly impossible.

"Well, shit." Merle frowned darkly and spit off to the side in agitation.

Sera's response died on her lips as the underbrush to their left began to rustle. Drawing her pistols, she looked to see that Daryl was next to her with his crossbow. Merle was on her other side, flanking her to afford his sister in law the most coverage while his bayoneted arm steadied the hand holding another pistol. Martinez had slid in behind her, guarding their backs and insuring that their way out remained clear.

No telltale moans or raspy gurgles met Sera's ears, and she quickly grew both bored and annoyed. "Ya'll come out! Right now, if'n ya'll don't want shot!"

"Catchfly?!"

A moment later, a small blonde hurricane barreled into Sera's chest.