Merle was almost speechless, he and his brother had always swapped stories about women all their lives, but now he couldn't remember Daryl ever thinking any woman was special. How do you explain love to someone who had no clue what it felt like. Merle had been in love a time or two, he had always assumed Daryl had too.
It wasn't something they had ever discussed, but Merle thought for sure in 38 years Daryl would have been in love with someone. Thinking about it now though Daryl had never acted the way he acted with Lucy with anyone else before the turn.
"How does the thought of her not being here feel?" Merle asked as they loaded the car later that morning as the sun was coming up. He knew how he felt about Andrea, she had changed his whole miserable life with one smile.
He knew he loved her and she loved him, the end of the world had brought Merle his soulmate and he had no problem saying it. His brother was well aware of how he felt about Andrea, Merle did not hesitate to admit it or show affection for her.
Daryl just shook his head. He could not imagine a life without Lucy there in some capacity. Even if it was just to annoy him until he died.
"Let me ask you something, who do you care more about?" Merle asked, "Yourself or her?"
"I care more about her well being and happiness than my own," Daryl answered, "She drives me nuts with all her bullshit. But when I was by myself, I missed it so much...I missed arguing with her, and all her nonsense. What the fuck is that?"
"Haven't you ever loved anyone before?" Merle asked, it never occurred to him that Daryl had no clue what he was feeling.
"No," Daryl bristled, then added, "Not if that's what this is."
"Congratulations brother," Merle swung an arm over his shoulder, "It was bound to happen someday, and I approved of her."
Merle was clearly a little shocked, both of them had a traumatic childhood, they lost their mother in a fire and became their drunk father's punching bags, but Merle had risen above it. He had made a life, with friends and lovers when it suited him. But thinking on it, now he realized Daryl had never brought girls home or hung with anyone besides him and his friends.
He had been so unaware of Daryl's life before, his brother had been a complete loner for as long as he could remember. It was almost comical thinking back on how Daryl had reacted to Lucy when they first met, and had been reacting all along to her.
Merle knew what it was, and he had been so sure that Daryl did too. Surely his younger brother had been loved by someone and loved someone before. But he hadn't, not in all of his life and Merle was sad about that.
Maggie and Glenn showed up before they could talk any longer to bring them water bottles for the trip. They weren't sure how long they would be gone so they needed to bring supplies just in case. The plan was to get in and out as fast as they could, and home that same day, but things had a way of not working out so well sometimes.
"Maggie made sandwiches for everyone, home made bread and PB&J…" Glenn said proudly.
"Thanks man," Merle accepted the sack of sandwiches gratefully as Glenn gave Daryl the water bottles to put in the car.
"Don't worry I got your bestie," Daryl said to Glenn as he lit a smoke. He appreciated the friendship between Lucy and Glenn and he also knew Glenn worried about her, "We're gonna be in and out of there and back in no time."
"Thanks." Glenn answered, "Good luck, stay safe."
"Should we start looking for baby stuff too?" Maggie asked and Daryl agreed, baby Grimes would be there before anyone knew it. They would need so much, formula and diapers for sure and a crib, plus so many other things they hadn't thought of yet.
"Yeah, we'll keep an eye out too," Daryl replied.
Marylee and Amy came running down the stairs followed by Beth to say goodbye and hand in their wish lists if they found anything worthwhile. It was late fall now. They had been on the Greene farm since August, the turn had happened in late May. Daryl brought Lucy and Marylee to the group somewhere around July 4th. No one was really keeping track of time, but it was somewhere in early November, since the kids tried to sneak out on Halloween.
Beth kept track of the days by her calendar that she kept in her room religiously, to some it seemed silly but it was important to her. Marylee had told Lucy that Beth was making another calendar for the next year so she would always know what day it was,
"Could you look for some books Lucy," Beth asked as Lucy walked up with her backpack, they were preparing to hunker down for the winter and the girls needed something to occupy their time.
"Sure, any particular genre?"
"Anyyyyything," Amy declared, "Nothing scary though."
"I'll take scary," Beth interrupted, "Stephen King, if you can find it."
"Oh a girl after my own heart," Lucy gave her a smile.
Today they were going to a mall about fifty miles away. Rick, Merle, Lucy, Daryl, and Andrea were going, Shane and Glenn were staying behind to help out on the farm.
"Remember we might be gone overnight, but we'll be back first thing in the morning. I don't want you to worry, OK?"
"We'll be fine, If I need anything I'll ask Glenn or Maggie." Then she added, "We're allowed back in the house, Herschel reconsidered."
That eased Lucy's mind, the events of the week before had worried her, she almost didn't want to go on the run because of it.
"Please," Lucy asked, "Keep out of trouble."
"Alright," Marylee replied, "You keep an eye on her." She said to Daryl who huffed at that thought.
"As if she needs me for that," He replied and Marylee laughed, of course he would look out for Lucy. He had just told Glenn the same thing, but he didn't want anyone worrying about her while he was around.
"Where's Rick," Merle asked, "He's the only one we're missing."
"I'll go look," Andrea offered and set out to go back where the tents were.
She passed Shane who was coming towards the small group clearly trying to get away from the drama that was going on down by the tents. Rick and Lori were arguing and they had to wait because Rick was going on the run with them.
"Shane would you help Maggie and Glenn keep these three troublemakers," She thumbed her hand towards Amy, Marylee and Beth.
Shane chuckled, and ran his hand through his hair, "Yeah I heard about that."
"I'm sorry that didn't sound right, I'm not asking you to babysit."
"No, no that's fine, I get it, been keeping an eye on the littler ones too so, it's no big deal."
"Thanks Shane."
"We all gotta look out for each other…"
"Yeah we do," Lucy agreed.
/
When Andrea got there Rick and Lori were having a very heated discussion and Carl was by the campfire trying to hear as Carol made breakfast for him and Sophia. They had fresh eggs every morning and it was a treat for everyone.
Maggie baked bread with the younger girls so they had plenty of food for breakfast. There was a huge vegetable garden which was where Lori and Rick were arguing in front of the corn stalks. Andrea waved but it didn't seem like they noticed.
It was common knowledge now that she was expecting, and that Rick wasn't exactly over the moon about it. People had ideas about why that was but no one was going there. Even if they had peace here, and security, there were issues just because of the relative closeness of everyone.
A couple couldn't even fight in private,
"Hey, Rick," Andrea waved and he gave her the one minute sign, Andrea nodded and headed back up to the driveway where the rest of the other group were. She walked past Carl and gave him a mind your own business look, and he pretended that he didn't see her.
Andrea was shaking her head as she came up the hill, this love triangle was going to hit the wall soon and she hoped to not be around for it.
/
In the car, Merle pushed a CD into the deck and Daryl just groaned in the back seat as "Low Rider" came on. Lucy was riding in the truck behind them with Rick and Daryl had his legs stretched out on the backseat.
"Really Merle?" Daryl snarked and then they were off.
"All my friends know the low rider…" Merle sang along with the CD.
"You have crappy taste in music…" Daryl observed from the back seat and Andrea turned to talk to him.
"You going to the pharmacy with Lucy while we go to the other place."
"Guess so," He shrugged, as if there was any question at all.
/
Lucy and Rick drove together and enjoyed each other's company as always. They chatted about the things they were going to look for and about life on the farm. Herschel had agreed to let them stay once he found out Lori was pregnant and he had not flown off the handle when the girls got caught sneaking out.
Lucy had filled him in on what was going on with the three girls yesterday and Rick entertained her with stories about himself and Shane when they were younger. Lucy toldRick about shenanigans that she had been involved in too as a teenager.
Things like this were kind of a right of passage, but it was a new world now and the old rules and ways were no longer in effect.
"How far away is this place anyway?" She asked.
"Fifty or sixty miles,"
"Mind if I smoke?"
"Give me one?"
Lucy lit two cigarettes and passed one to him.
"Do you think we'll find what we're looking for?"
"I hope so, we're running out of local places to go." Rick answered.
"It was inevitable I guess, there's no one making deliveries every day any more."
"Nope there isn't."
"Did you ever in your wildest dreams think something like this could happen?" Lucy asked, "It baffles my mind, sometimes I wake up and I forget for a minute."
They passed a few straggler walkers in a far field, "Then you see that…"
"Back to reality."
"Like a bullet." Rick agreed.