Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 98

Author's Note: I hope by the time I'm ready to post this, the little glitch has taken care of itself in FF and it lets it upload. And Chapter 97 is somehow showing up before then! Well if it ever goes up, review? Please? Happy New Year! Alright, the Dixon siblings need a chapter, Merle needs to somewhat redeem himself.

Prison POV:

Oscar shouted down from the guard tower with Carol. "They're back! Open the gate," he yelled.

Sasha, Mitch, Mar and Lexi detracted the walkers from them and Glenn opened the gate and let the car come in, and shut it behind them.

"How did it go?" Maggie asked from beside Glenn as they got out of the car.

Rick glanced at Jewel. "We ran into a few things that we weren't expecting. But we got weapons and supplies."

Jewel met Summer's eyes and nodded to speak to her alone.

"What happened?" Daryl asked as he came up with Merle.

"Jane, we found her as a walker at the clinic," Rick told them.

"What? No…she wasn't supposed to be there," Mar said as she looked at Rick.

Daryl put his arms around Mar. "She didn't put her down did she?"

"She couldn't do it," Carl said. "Dad did it."

"Well that's one point in your favor, Officer Friendly," Merle told him.

"Shut up Merle," Mar and Daryl both told him as they looked over to Summer and Jewel.

Jewel and Summer's POV:

Jewel touched Summer's face and placed the necklace in her hands. "We found Jane….she had went back to the clinic, there was an ambulance," she told her daughter as she caressed her face putting there foreheads together. "She died…trying to help people. That's what Jane did baby."

Summer looked at the necklace in her hand then up at her. "She…turned?"

Jewel nodded. "She turned….Rick took care of her…we buried her. I don't want you to think of her that way. The Jane we remember is the one that could scare Uncle Merle with a glare, the woman who loved everyone around her. I know whoever she went to help with Dr. Park…they did it out of love. They did it to try to save one person. We survived because of Jane…we are here because Jane loved us to put our lives before her. We need to honor her, we are better people for loving her, baby. We're better people for knowin' her. I'm a better person for knowin' her. I was a better mother for knowin' her," Jewel told Summer as she kissed the top of her head.

"You saw her like that…are you alright?" Summer asked.

Jewel took a breath. "I got to be, because that's what Jane would expect. We all knew she was gone, but that wasn't her. That was just her shell…." she told her. "We got work to do, protect the people we love. I'm just going to take a minute to regroup, then I'll be out to help," she said as she kissed the top of her head and walked past the group.

Dixon Siblings' POV:

Merle and Daryl watched as Jewel walked past the group and went into the prison. Merle nodded at Daryl. "Let's go," he told his brother.

Daryl nodded as he slung the crossbow on his back and both turned to follow Jewel.

"Merle, wait," Rick said as he grabbed his arm. "This isn't the time."

Merle glared at him as he pushed him off. "Listen here, Officer Friendly, I'm sick and tired of all you here telling' me what a shitty big brother I am. And what I need to do about it. Well, this is me doing what I've been doin' her whole life, what Daryl and I've been doin' her whole life. Bein' there, just bein' there. Now, if you all give a damn about her, you'll let us do this. Unless you want to see her quietly be destroyed by what she just saw. I have a feelin' you care a whole lot more then that about her to let her do that Officer. Now, you gonna let us go? Or are you going to be a prick?" Merle asked.

Daryl looked at Rick. "We got this, Rick."

Rick nodded as he released him. "Daryl, I'm trusting you."

"Aint gonna let anything happen Rick," Daryl told the man as the two brothers walked inside. "You didn't hit him, that's a step in the right direction."

Merle looked at him as they walked to the infirmary. "Hey baby sister."

"Not in the mood, Merle," Jewel said as she unpacked the bag.

Daryl walked over and took the bag out of her hand. "Don't got much of a choice in this, baby sister. Sit down."

Jewel rolled her eyes. "If you're going to check the bag for alcohol, I already gave the bottle I found to Rick."

"Tempted huh?" Merle asked. "Thought Daryl said to sit down."

"I'm not four, Merle. If I don't want to sit down, I don't have to," Jewel simply said.

Merle and Daryl looked at each other as Merle picked her up and placed her on the bed in the infirmary. "Don't matter how old you are lil' sister, we still get to boss you around. Now, talk."

Daryl and Merle sat on either side of her. "You know how this goes, we can sit here all quiet, arms crossed, and stare at the blank wall for hours. Or you can start talkin' and we offer comfort, and get all those feeling's us Dixon's hate out in the open."

"Considerin' that we've got the Governor planning to kill us all, the second option may be the better one," Merle suggested with a smirk. "Come on, been a while since we've done one of these."

"As you mentioned, considering we have a psycho out there, this may not be the time for this," Jewel pointed out.

"Has she gotten more stubborn since I've been gone?" Merle asked Daryl.

"More outspoken, I blame Rick," Daryl told him.

"Can we do this later? I swear we can get all those feelings out once we deal with the Devil," Jewel told them.

"That's just the thing, baby sister. All three of us may not be alive when all this is over," Merle pointed out. "I'm all for us Dixon's kickin' some Governor's ass, but the truth is we got this chance, now. I saw your face when you were talkin' to Summer. And we both know what that woman meant to you. She was like the mother you never had, the mother you deserved. Could see right through my worthless ass."

Jewel and Daryl both gave a chuckle. "Told you off every which way she could possibly could too," Jewel said.

"With a smile on her face while she was doing it," Daryl added.

"You were scared of her," Jewel teased.

"Hell yeah, I was. Only woman in the world who could turn and give me a damn stare that sent chills down my spine. I wasn't afraid of many people in my life, but that woman….holy hell," Merle said. "Always knew you were in good hands with that woman, and for that she had my respect. She didn't need to go out like that, and you certainly didn't need to see her like that."

"Do any of us need to go out like that Merle? Do any of us, including your sorry ass, deserve what this punishment is?" Jewel asked. "We ran upon the man who saved Rick last year, Morgan. His son had turned….he was bat shit crazy. I saw it in his eyes. I heard it in his voice. He was alone in this world, blamed himself for his son turnin' cause he didn't take care of his wife when she died. I couldn't put Jane down, I dropped to my knees, and I don't know…..I didn't even think of what could have happened….what would have happened if Rick didn't do it. How am I supposed to be prepared to put Rick or Summer or Carl or you two down? What keeps us from going bat shit crazy like this Governor of yours Merle? What makes us just not lay down and let this world do what it is going to do to us? How have the three of us survived when other families don't come out unscathed. How long is it going to last? How can I justify being in love with Rick when tomorrow isn't guaranteed? How can you let Mar in when either one of you can die tomorrow? How is that fair to any of us? Maybe letting' people in now is just as wrong as it was then."

Merle looked at Jewel. "You know that aint true, baby sister. Us not letting' people in was wrong back then as it is now. Now is Officer Friendly my first choice of a brother in law? Hell no, he'd probably be way far down on the list. Above the Governor," he teased as he playfully hit her shoulder.

Daryl tried not to laugh. "You and I are better people for lovin them. Jane wouldn't want you to give up. And, we all got an unsaid vow to each other, that we aren't goin' to let any of us turn. Guess we should let Merle in on it huh? Even his sorry ass don't deserve that fate," he teased.

"Very funny, lil brother. You know I can still kick your ass," Merle said.

"And I can still kick both of your asses," Jewel reminded them as she wiped her eyes.

"It's not enough to be by ourselves anymore, Jewel," Daryl said. "I think we're even teachin' the old dog here new tricks," he grinned.

"I'm only here because the two of you are here, and Summer's here. I'm protectin' family," Merle insisted.

"Should remind you that Rick is my husband, makes him family," Jewel told him.

Merle glared at her. "Just got to ruin this sibling moment don't you? Got to ask, just cause curiosity kills the damn cat. Why him?"

Jewel laughed. "Now isn't that the ten thousand dollar question? Don't know, Merle. Can't explain love."

"Love…when did us Dixon's ever learn that word?" Merle asked.

"Well since you are all up in our love life, what's up with you and Jes?" Daryl asked.

Merle looked at them. "I'm sorry, weren't we supposed to be comforting baby sister here? I don't remember opening' the floor to a question and answer section."

Jewel grinned. "Oh, little sister is good. I'd like to know that answer to that question."

"Aint no Jes and me. Just friends….soldiers. Fightin' for survival. Surviving Woodbury. Now surviving against the Governor," Merle answered.

"Guess it's going to take him a little longer then us to figure it out," Jewel told Daryl.

"Excuse me lil sister? Figure what out? You and Daryl always were weaker then me, seein' the good in people. Lettin' them in. Me, well one of us has to keep up the walls," Merle told them.

"Think you'd figure out by now, that walls either keep you in or keep you out. Sometime's letting' people in, breaking down those walls, that's what keeps us sane," Daryl pointed out.

Merle rolled his eyes. "You alright lil sister? We good?"

"Got to be right?" Jewel asked.

"Just don't let it eat you up, you got people that love you, even if that includes old Officer Friendly," Merle said as he rolled his eyes. He kissed the top of her head. "Let's get ready."