3rd Person POV

"Now we got a problem here. I need you to back up." Rick outstretched his hand to stop the 3 coming towards them but it was too late. Glenn, Michonne, and T-Dog had already seen the extra person they've brought back with them.

The 'shing' of a sword being removed from its scabbard accompanied the cock of a gun.

"What the Hell is he doing here!?"

Rick and Daryl immediately jumped in front of Glenn and Michonne, body blocking the rest of the group behind them, Eve grabbed Randall's elbow and surprisingly pulled him off to the side and motioned for him to stay there before moving back in front of Merle, standing sideways so he's always within her line of sight.

T-Dog made eye contact with Eve, silently asking for an explanation and Eve shook her head, even if they told them the truth of what happened, it wouldn't change the past or suddenly absolve Merle of the things he's done since the moment they met again.

In other words, it'd be useless.

There was a lot of shouting that Eve could barely keep track of before Rick was pointing his revolver at Michonne's furious face, the tip of her sword almost touching his chest as they both shouted at each other at the same time, "Put it down!" "He tried to kill me!"

Merle had his hands up, his back against a tree, but his smile looked like he was enjoying this as everyone yelled at each other back and forth.

T-Dog, Randall, and Eve were the only observers but T-Dog looked like someone being sent to the gallows, like the time of reckoning has come.

Eve hasn't forgotten that it was T-Dog who dropped the handcuff key on the roof where they left Merle and he's had a heavy conscience over it ever since but he'd accepted his mistake a long time ago. Now that Merle's standing right here in front of him, alive and breathing and carrying the punishment of T-Dog's blunder…... He has to face the music.

In a world of unimaginable nightmares, he really shouldn't have been surprised that the worst one would also come true. The man you left to die, coming back.

"He helped us get out of there." Daryl reasoned against Glenn, catching Eve's ear.

"Yeah right after he beat the shit outta you." Rick spat, still holding off Michonne.

"Hey, we both took our licks, man." Merle unhelpfully interjected with that ever carefree attitude but his eyes were venomous and fixed on T-Dog.

Unfortunately Rider stood between him and the man responsible for him losing his hand and as much as he wants revenge, he's not suicidal enough to try to go through her to get to him just yet.

Eve was aware this would happen, that's why she placed herself precisely where she is.

She was banking on Merle being unwilling to challenge her again after how it ended last time, all those seasons ago but it won't last long. Sooner or later he'll damn the consequences and when that happens, she has to be ready for it.

She's not in the best condition right now, but she's also a lot stronger than she used to be and fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on a person's point of view), she has a lot more experience with fighting while injured. After a while, it turns a tough cookie so hard you can't even bite it without breaking teeth anymore, much less chew.

"Jackass" Daryl called so casually it sounded like he was simply saying his name.

"Hey, shut up" Merle bit back like a true brother. Only to have Rick whip his head around without taking his gun off Michonne and yell in his face, "Enough!"

Merle was startled enough to stutter back but he barely got out 3 words before Maggie shouted, "Put that down!" at Michonne, who had taken the opportunity to try to move around Rick.

The shouting came to an abrupt halt as Daryl got fed up and finally shouted at Glenn, "Get that thing outta my face!"

Followed by Merle's genuinely amused laugh.

The heated atmosphere wasn't dissuaded in the slightest by the sound and only left filled heavy breaths and heated gazes being thrown around while Merle amused himself with snide comments against his brother.

"Man, look like you've gone native, brother."

Daryl turned around, finally having the opportunity to properly talk to his brother since they reunited. If only his first words to him didn't have to be, "No more than you, hangin' out with that psycho back there!"

"Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell you that." Merle obviously held no love for the man but he's the sort of person holds contempt for everything like a kid holds candy.

"Been puttin' the wood to your girlfriend Andrea big time, baby." Merle's vulgar words were followed by an even more vulgar gesture with his tongue that made Eve tempted to shoot him and then dig her own eyes out with a sharpened spoon so she would never be subjected to such a stomach rolling sight again.

"What? Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn quickly distracted from Merle and all eyes fell on Daryl after both Rick and Eve also looked confused.

"Right next to the Governor." Daryl answered, a hint of disbelief and even some trace of lost hope in their companion that they've long thought they'd never see or hear from ever again.

Michonne once again tried to take advantage of the atmosphere simmering down but she didn't get two steps before Rick yelled at her again, this time fresh out of patience. "I told you to drop that!"

Merle leaned his head back against the tree, smiling like the proud man he is, taking a sick satisfaction in eroding relations with just a few flicks of the tongue.

However when he too sought to see an opportunity, he froze, meeting a stone-faced fiery gaze that saw straight through his bullshit. As always.

Merle turned his eyes back away from Rider's casually, like he hadn't been intending to do anything at all but this thorn in his side won't be moving any time soon and he can feel her burning eyes watching his every move.

Rider's the only one here who doesn't give two shits what comes out of your mouth, that's why she's always been capable of stopping him and anyone else, because she watches movement, not how your gums flap. Annoying pest.

"You know Andrea?" Rick's tone demanded an answer but Michonne didn't, only glanced at Rick before her eyes moved back to Merle.

Rick stepped closer, lowering his voice but it was not soft by any means. "Hey, do you know, Andrea?"

"Yep, she does." Merle butted in again. "Her and blonde spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. Mm-mmm-mmm. Yeah. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers."

Eve grit her teeth at the racist remark, her fingers tapping on the hilt of her knife. Mulling over whether or not Daryl would forgive her for cutting off his brother's tongue. The world would be a more pleasant place.

However everyone else seemed to fixate on the second half of his sentence. Rick looked over his shoulder.

"No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it." Merle barely finished his sentence before even Daryl had had enough.

Daryl whipped around and scolded without hesitation. "Shut up, bro."

Merle chuckled lowly and like he'd done nothing wrong, continued, "Hey, man, we snagged 'em out of the woods. Andrea was close to dyin."

"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asked but she had her eyes on Michonne, like she was asking her. Frankly Michonne is more trustworthy but Merle isn't a good liar. As hateful a person he is, he isn't one to lie when the truth would hurt more.

"Yeah." Merle answered in her stead again. "Snug as two little bugs. So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh?"

Everyone turned their attention back to Merle, somewhat confused but listening with guarded ears.

"Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs, and cowards."

"Shut up!" Rick barely let the sentence finish before he'd had it with this prick.

"Oh man, look at this. Pathetic!" Merle chuckled again but even he was over it at this point.

"All these guns and no bullets in them."

Daryl slowly turned to face his brother before yelling in his face again, "Shut up!"

Merle stepped away from the tree, losing his temper, "Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you roll—"

Merle dropped to the ground, Rick standing over him with the but of his revolver in hand, glaring down at the collapsed unconscious man.

Rick looked at Daryl but he didn't have a single bit of complaint on his face. He knows his brother. It's best if he can't open his mouth.

As Rick muttered "Asshole." loud enough for everyone to hear, Daryl turned to find Eve, she was standing as quiet and alert as ever.

The pack of them moved to the street, leaving Randall, who is the only third party in this, to watch over Merle laying face down on the forest floor.

Michonne was "banished" to stand beside the cars within their line of sight while the rest of them moved farther away to start the discussion that had to happen.

Every last one of them absolutely dreading the conversation to come, because it isn't gonna go well.

Five minutes in and things were already breaking down.

"It isn't gonna work." Rick shook his head, resolute in his doubt.

"It's gotta." Daryl reasoned, Eve standing by his side quietly.

She listened to the conversation and kept her eyes moving around to keep watch and to check up on Randall but so far she's had nothing to say, like the old days.

"It'll stir things up." Rick countered.

"Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks, and we could use the muscle." Daryl argued, making an extremely valid point, one that Eve was actually keeping in mind herself.

"I'm not having him at the prison." Maggie argued back softly but firm.

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth?" Glenn's voice was quiet but his tone was lashing.

"He ain't a rapist." Daryl countered, slightly confused as to why Glenn would even think that. Merle's a douche but there are lines even he hasn't crossed.

"Well his buddy is." Glenn spat back without much thought, and Eve's eyebrows jumped to her hairline.

Say what.

Her eyes moved to Maggie beside her who shifted uncomfortably and her face looked like she was about to both cry and slap her boyfriend. Like he'd just spilled a secret they'd agreed not to talk about.

Eve gently touched her elbow and Maggie jumped, looking at her.

She muttered, "I'm fine." under her breath and Eve didn't push it. It was an obvious lie but if she's not ready to touch on the subject, no one has any right to make her.

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night." Daryl argued again,

This entire time he's been calm and cool, reasonable. Not raising his voice, making valid points for bringing Merle back to the prison with them but it's falling on the ears of people who have been directly battered and scorned by the man in question, and Merle is literally the last person on the planet that any of them wanted to be sharing a sleeping space with.

They're all too emotionally involved to even consider weighing the benefits to the cons when it concerns Merle Dixon.

Eve finally sighed, deciding to speak up and help her partner.

"There's more than one cell-block."

Make no mistake, she holds no positive feelings for Merle and she isn't doing this because he's Daryl's brother. She's checked herself for bias but no matter how she thinks about it, they could genuinely use him for this upcoming fight; even if there are a lot of unpleasant cons to having Merle around.

Daryl being happy is a pleasant bonus, and he gave her a grateful glance for having his back.

He's more aware than anyone that his brother causes friction wherever he goes, he's always been like that but he's his brother, and against all odds they've met again.

"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without puttin' everyone at each other's throats, even in another cell block." Rick refuted the point and Eve regarded him with disapproving eyes. That was a reasonable point but he completely ruined it with that unreasonable tack on at the end.

How on Earth would Merle manage to antagonize anyone from a different cell-block, hm?

Daryl finally reached his boiling point and spoke in indignation, "So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?"

"She's not coming back." Rick stated but Maggie immediately refuted, "She's not in a state to be on her own."

"She did bring you guys to us." Glenn backed her up.

"And then ditched us." Rick reminded, still not letting that go. They don't even know where that woman went while they were saving the three of them.

"At least let my dad stitch her up." Maggie made a counter offer.

T-Dog sighed softly, shifting his gaze over to the forest where Randall is watching over the man in question. He still feels guilty about his mistake but he tried not to let his judgement be clouded as he finally joined the conversation. "It's risky either way. Whether we bring both of them back, one of them, or neither."

"She's too unpredictable." Rick adamantly refused.

"That's right. We don't know who she is." Daryl backed him up as he stared at the woman in question, watching them from afar.

Eve glanced and studied her figure with indifference. She has no opinion on this woman, she has no idea who she is and hasn't had any personal interaction aside from getting her knives back.

She's grateful for the knives but as far as she knows their business with this stranger should be over.

She got what she wanted, they got what they wanted, what's she still hanging around for?

Eve doesn't have enough information to say whether or not they should risk bringing her back.

In her eyes, Michonne and Merle pose exactly the same threat level right now. Except Merle is more likely to behave in predictable ways and they know what he wants. He's here for Daryl but what is she here for?

Eve doesn't trust either of them but at least she knows she can deal with Merle.

This woman holds her sword the way Eve holds her knives; With skill and experience. That makes her dangerous, bottom line.

"But Merle, Merle's blood." Daryl continued his argument.

"No, Merle is your blood." Glenn stressed 'your'. "My blood, my family is standing right here, and waiting for us back at the prison."

"And you're part of that family." Rick stressed to Daryl. "But he's not. He's not."

Even if Merle was blood he's not the kind of person you'd want or choose to be related to. Not even Eve can argue there. Except with, "Neither is she."

Movement caught the corner of Eve's eye and she watched Merle slowly getting up, using the tree as leverage.

Randall made eye contact with her, silently asking what to do and she jerked her head, motioning for him to come over here. She doesn't want him or anyone else near Merle if at all possible. Especially not since Randall would be a prime target for the man.

Randall made his way back towards them, leaving Merle by himself but he paid no mind to the kid, and while Eve was distracted, she almost missed what Daryl said.

"Man, y'all don't know." Daryl looked at the people in front of him. "Fine. We'll fend for ourselves."

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Jessica Taylor

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