Chapter Thirty-Six: Lil' Brotha


Esme had to slip Judith into the baby sling so the infant could keep eating while she helped Andre and Lilac use the toilet. She'd closed the cell door of the baby room so that her three youngest ones couldn't get out and roam while she brought the toddlers up the stairs to the designated bathroom. The bathroom was the cell in the center on the second floor, it had a heavy carpet covering the front of it for some privacy. Whenever someone used it they had to fill the small tank with water before flushing, but it otherwise served it's purpose well.

After bringing the toddlers back downstairs and letting them back in the room to play with their younger siblings, Esme began to hear the unfamiliar voices of the two new individuals in the prison.

"Oh, there you are." Beth murmured as she came up from behind Esme.

Esme shot the teen a small smile, "Lilac and Andre had to use the toilet."

The blonde nodded, "Judith is still eating?"

She simply nodded as she peered under the light baby blanket, she'd thrown it over her shoulder to preserve some of her modesty in case someone came across her nursing the youngest Grimes. Judith had her eyes shut contently now as she rested one of her hands against Esme's chest while she nursed slowly, "Yeah, but she's falling asleep now. Won't be long before she starts napping."

"We'll have to give the others a snack then too... you like to put 'em down for a nap around this time, right?" Beth asked softly.

Esme nodded, "Si, I need to start pumping milk for later. Bora, Thomas and Primrose still nurse from me and Andre and Lilac get a bottle at night."

Beth nodded, "I finished with these diapers, I'm going to hang them upstairs on the perch since there's still a lotta sunlight streamin' there."

Raised voices carried down to their ears making Esme eye the locked entrance of the Cell Block curiously where Carl was standing guard at the door with a mutinous expression on his face, Rick had probably made him enter the Cell Block before locking the door in an attempt to keep his son safe, "They are here now. Was it really Daryl's brother?"

"Yeah. I'd never met Merle before, but Rick confirmed it." Beth murmured, "Carl's not too happy with his Daddy for makin' him come inside, but he didn' put too much of fuss in front of the others."

Yeah, the hard expression on Carl's face just screamed discontent. The boy was probably going to get into a row with Rick when the situation stopped being so tense. Adolescents... She really wasn't looking forward to being the single mother of five teenagers. Five. Just the thought of it threatened to give her a headache.

Was it wrong of her to want to at least view the proceedings over the integration or expulsion of the new people? It didn't look like Daryl, Glenn and Tyreese were back from checking out the breech on the far side of the prison. The archer would be thrilled to be reunited with his brother. Curiosity was burning behind her chest as the volume of voices increased from the cafeteria once more. A red flush colored her cheeks as she turned to look at Beth inquiringly.

"Do you min' if I take a peek of the other room?"

Beth smiled in an understanding manner, "Not at all. I'd be curious too. Merle doesn' really look much like Daryl... I'll keep an eye on the lil' ones."

A small, almost breathless sounding giggle escaped from her lips, "Gracias." as she cautiously started walking in the direction of the locked gate where Carl was petulantly glaring into the other room.

Sasha sent her a strained smile from where she was leaning against the concrete wall closest to the gate. The younger Williams sibling was hovering in the outskirts of the group, much like Esme herself felt most of the time, as she watched the others begin to interrogate the new duo in their midsts. Esme shot the other woman a soft understanding smile before leaning against the bars to get a look at Merle and the woman.

She could understand why Beth didn't think Daryl and Merle looked much alike at first glance. Merle was a little shorter than his brother but just as built as Daryl was, the sides of his dirty blonde hair were even shorter than the small wavy curls on the top of his head. His forehead had evident stress lines that wrinkled with the man's different facial expressions, the man was probably a few years older than Daryl was and had visible crows feet at the corners of his piercing blue eyes (they were a shade paler than Daryl's but just as intense). Both brothers had similar jawlines and thin pale lips, they both seemed to carry the same burden on their shoulders even if Merle was currently slouched in a 'devil-may-care' manner as grinned in a sardonically at Rick. Merle gestured in a carefully lazy way with the makeshift blade prosthetic strapped where his right hand should be.

"-ight Officer Frien'ly? Like starin' atta a ghost." Merle taunted in a thick Georgian accent that Esme had grown to find pleasant over the years. "Nevah 'spected ta see ole' Merle 'gain, did ya? Where's ma brotha?"

"Daryl's around. Perimeter check, I believe..." Rick responded dryly, "How'd you fin' this place?"

Merle ignored the ex-sheriffs question as he turned to stare at his female companion when she hissed in pain. Hershal seemed to be stitching a gash in the woman's leg. The dark-skinned woman gave him a pointed look that earned her rolled eyes before Merle turned back to their agitated leader.

"Saw ya, was it yesterday, stopped in tha road ta move a truck. Was too far 'way, but I saw ma brotha an' the Chinese kid. 'Chonne here say she heard ya mention a prison, 'is closest one in the area." the man gestured around the room, "Don' wan' no trouble. Been lookin' fer Daryl a long time now. Jus' wan' ma brotha."

Esme rocked her body gently, Judith had stopped really sucking now and would hopefully fall asleep against her chest if she kept up with the gentle ministrations. Merle's body language wasn't screaming deception to her, it didn't look like the man wanted trouble with the group, but he also wasn't divulging the whole truth which Rick seemed to have picked up on as he threw the other survivor suspicious glares.

"See, I'm not sure I can fully believe that." Rick drawled, "Your companion's name is 'Chonne?"

Merle let out a bitter chuckle, "Why's tha' Hoss? Is 'cause tha last time ya saw me, ya'd cuffed me ta a pole an' then abandoned me on a roof surrounded by damn biters?" the man shook his head, "Seems like I'm tha one tha' should be cautious 'ere, don' it?"

"Michonne." the woman piped up, not looking away from Hershal's steady hands as the gash in her leg slowly closed with each tug of the needle and thread piercing her skin, "Not 'Chonne."

"Right." Rick grunted before looking back at Daryl's older brother, "We went back for you, in Atlanta. Daryl was pretty devastated when we only found your hand on the roof... Didn' say much, but he really thought that you'd head back ta the quarry. 'Course you didn't. After that, we didn't hang around much, walkers got into camp and we had to move on."

"Ain't tha' nice. Pig came back ta clean up 'is mess." Merle spat, ignoring the other man's comment concerning his heartbroken brother. Esme could see the grief briefly cloud his eyes before anger and contempt overpowered the emotion, "Makes it'all better tha' ya'll showed up after I had ta saw my own damn hand off." Merle breathed in deeply as he tried to control his anger before releasing the air harshly, "Tha' don' matter much no more, 'specially since T-Dog's," he spat the name out like a curse, "dead now. I only wants ma brotha, an' then'll be outta yer hair."

Rick's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean? You want to take Daryl, an' what? Split?"

Merle stood up abruptly, ignoring Rick as the man gripped the gun in his holster threateningly and the others in the room tensed up as well, "Yup! 'Xactly tha,' we leavin' this area.'

Even Michonne looked somewhat surprised by that declaration, "Why?" Rick grounded out.

Merle seemed to actually survey the other people in the room, his blue eyes roving over every individual before locking onto her own for a brief moment. The archer's brother eyed the now sleeping bundle against her chest curiously and then with some barely concealed pity (Esme tensed up, every muscle in her body screaming at her to movemovemove, to attack, to run from the danger that seemed to be enveloped around Merle, even if she didn't exactly know what it was) before moving on to look at Rick once more.

"There's a bigger fish in tha area tha's not gonna be too happy wit' me. I'd move along if I was you too. Govn'ahs not goin' ta be too happy when realizes ya'll have moved in so close ta Woodberry."

Esme's breath caught in her chest before she blurted out, "The Governor? You know him?"

Everyone's eyes jumped onto her form, "I do lil' lady. I'd run if I was you. He ain't goin' ta be any more merciful ta ya jus' 'cause ya gotta baby." Merle warned.

Bile threatened to escape from her lips. It seemed like the leader of the men she'd run from was an even bigger threat than she'd anticipated. Rick seemed to find the new information that'd been divulged even more infuriating as he agitatedly ran his fingers through his hair before glaring at the older Dixon and barking, "Start talkin.' Who is he? What'd you do to piss him off? You mentioned: Woodberry, is that his base? Where's that? How far is it? How many men he's got? Weapons?"

Merle smirked at their leader with contempt, "Well, now. Wouldn't chu like ta know-"

The door leading to the outside clanged open as Glenn burst into the room without care, "The breach in the outer wall is pretty substantial, but Esme's spike trap idea showed a lotta merit. Daryl says we can start collecting some strong trunk or branches to start carving out the spikes-"

The Korean practically squeaked as he realized the tense atmosphere and the presence of the older, and presumed dead, Dixon in the room, "Merle?" he whispered incredulously.

"Wha's tha hold up?" Daryl grouched as he pushed past an awkward Tyreese and frozen Glenn on the steps, "Ya can' just stop walkin' on the steps when there's people behind ya Glenn-"

"Lil' brotha!" Merle crowed. The older Dixon's pale blue eyes were suspiciously shiny as he took in the form of his stunned younger brother, a large smile had formed onto the man's lips.

"Merle?" Daryl murmured with disbelief as if the presence of the older Dixon was simply a hallucination there to taunt him and then disappear when he got too close.

"Took ya long 'nough, lil' brotha! Locals 'ere were gettin' antsy!" when Daryl stayed in the same surprised position on the stairs Merle rolled his eyes, "Wha'? No hug fer yer estranged brotha, tha's cold baby brotha."

"Merle!" Daryl shouted this time as he lunged himself across the room and into the arms of the other man.


Words 2010


Translations:

Si = Yes

Gracias = Thanks


(SO... Merle and Micone have finally made there appearance! Esme's fears over the Governor are being validated, Daryl's reunited with his brother! I hope this chapter has lived up to the expectations some of you have! Michone's reunion with Andre will be happening within the next two chapters! The next one is a bit of a filler, sorry, but it's important for the plot later on... Let me know what you guys think!)

(Thank you guys for all of the wonderful reviews and for all of the new people who are following this fic!)

(I won't be updating again until next week because it is Easter and that's a pretty big deal for me and my family. But I didn't want to leave you all hanging... so... yeah... present... Happy -almost- Easter!)

(Stay safe and Healthy everyone!)


(DarylDixon'sLover: Thanks!)

(Guest1/Apple Bloom: LOL. Definitely! Hope you enjoyed it!)

(animemangaobsessed: Yup! The ripples are definitely starting to impact canon.)

(Guest2/30yrsoldgirlie: Aww, thanks! Look after yourself as well! I hope you liked Merle!)

(I.C.2014: Very very soon, I promise!)

(Beachgirl25: So... Merle... I hope I gave his character some justice! I definitely like the idea of a grandma surviving all this time because she was hiding away in a bunker! Sasha and Tyrese did the same thing during the beginning of the apocalypse as well and only left when they ran out of food/supplies. I LOVE the idea of the grandmother having some of her grandkids with her when shit went down, and I love the idea of Carl being the one to find them even more... I'll definitely see how to incorporate this character into the story very soon.)

(Guest3/Supergirl101: Same, I think they didn't do Beth justice. I hope that I can help make her character flourish a little more with this fic.)

(Wolfygirlxx: Aww thanks! You are as well!)

(celia Azul: Thank you! Your comment made me blush!)

(Guest4: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And Michonne definitely is!)

(Guest5/Kyr: I do like the idea of Merle having some of the knowledge that the granny has, he did get to have his mother around longer... but I do want to try writing an old wise grandmother character... perhaps, Merle can end up validating granny's knowledge, maybe even bonding with her because she reminds him of his mom before she fell off the wagon... Carol's definitely going to lose it very soon, and it's probably going to be triggered when Michonne reunites with her son.)

(Castiel Angel Heart: LOL. I know what that's like! Thanks for reviewing!)

(TwilightEcpls: Sorry, the brotherly reunion came first. Esme would never put her babies in danger by exposing them to unknowns... but I promise the reunion will be happening very soon!)

(Heidi191976: Okay... I LOVE your idea! Potential SPOILERS: People tend to forget faces after time passes, but auditory triggers stay with us longer, that's why we feel safe when we hear the rhythmic beating of our mom's heart or why Alzheimer's patients have shown to improve when they listen to music that was popular during their time... Absolutely brilliant. I was trying to figure out a way to make the reunion more realistic on Andre's part since it has been a really long time since he's seen his mom, so this really helped!)

(MayP: The mother/son reunion will happen very very soon! Pinky promise! Yup... Andrea is not with them. I wonder why? LOL. I'm not going to spoil why that's happened just yet.)

(G00N: Spot on. The next chapter, while it might feel a bit like a filler, is going to help a bit with Esme's feelings of inadequacy. And, no, it's not bad at all. Esme's babies are going to be lil' badasses themselves when they're all grown up!)