[A/N:Thanks to all the new followers and favourites! Always give me a bit of a pick up to see those numbers creeping up. Biggest thanks to the reviewers of course, especially SorrowJunky, Leyshla Gisel, and Kyokkou- it's so good to hear what you're enjoying about this story. Personally, I'm happy people seem to be liking 'Asha the Merle whisperer' (thanks SorrowJunky)—and Kyokkou, guess you'll have your answer pretty soon about whether or not I'm going to stay canon with Merle.

Also, I have a fairly thick skin, so— so long as you aren't nasty about it— if I'm doing something that you don't think works (either plot, characterisation or technical writing skills wise), feel free to let me know.

I kinda dig this chapter though, so hope you guys do too.]

Asha walked quietly in the tombs. It was eerie in the silence, the long halls dank and dim in the half light that managed to filter through the limited barred windows. The air was stale, as though the place had been abandoned for millennia rather than the twelve months or so since the turn. Without too much effort, Asha could easily imagine she was the last person alive. She shivered.

She was looking for Merle. He often slunk off down here to get away from everyone, she suspected he sought out the eerie solitude of the place. Based on his attitude when she'd seen him earlier that morning, he was definitely in the mood for solitude at the moment.

Asha still wasn't quite sure what had happened. Somehow, she'd managed to sleep in, and when she'd woken in her own cell, ribs stiff and aching, she had decided it really was time to go push Merle for an apology. Although she had been comforted by his obvious support the night before, the nasty aftertaste from their fight yesterday still hadn't washed entirely away—and Asha had been surprised to find that that bothered her. She had been pretty sure she could count on Merle's mercurial temper to have forgotten all about it—particularly since Daryl had made it back ok. No harm no foul, right? But still, she had known she'd feel better after they'd had a friendly encounter to help put it behind them.

She had found him in his cell, the furthest on the upper level, as far away from the group as he could get without actually being in another cell block. And he had been pissed. He was muttering under his breath as he upended his pack and shook out its contents onto the bunk. Asha thought she caught the word 'fire', but it could just have easily been 'wire' or 'tyre.'

'Fuck off,' he snapped when he saw her leaning against the door. Not the warm welcome she was after, but she persisted.

'Well good morning to you too sunshine,' she quipped, hoping to diffuse his mood. When he ignored her she kept on—filling in his side of the conversation when didn't respond.

'So how'd ya sleep in your new deluxe surrounds?…Oh, fine thanks Asha, thanks for asking. How 'bout you?...Oh yeah, great. Definite improvement on the floor. Except for some reason I have these damn aching ribs. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would ya?'

Merle stopped rummaging through the items scattered across the bed and turned to her. 'What d'ya want Asha?'

His tone was bitter and there was such anger and loss in his eyes that she forgot all about her apology.

'Can I help?' She asked quietly.

He turned back the bunk. 'No'

'Come on Merle.' She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.

He spun on her. 'Get the hell away from me Asha.'

She flinched back. 'What the hell, Merle? What's going on?'

He rubbed a weary hand through his silver hair. 'Just..Ya watch yourself around these people.'

Her brow furrowed. 'Whatd'ya mean?'

He was silent.

'Merle, what do you mean? Thought our side was the good guys, right?'

'There ain't no good people left,' he said bitterly.

'Even Daryl?' Asha pushed.

'Never said my brother was good,' Merle snapped. 'He always was the sweet one, sure...But that ain't the same thing.' He turned his back to her. 'Just go the fuck away, Asha. I ain't want ya around.'

She tossed her hands up in frustration. 'Fine Merle... whatever. Like you fucking know the difference between good and bad any more anyway.'

'What,' he spun on her angrily, nose flaring and eyes flat. 'Ya think ya one of the good ones? Whatd'ya do that drove your brother off?'

Asha's jaw dropped and she took a step back.

'Oh yeah girly, I figured that one out.' His mouth twisted and he jabbed her shoulder with his index finger. 'Ya didn't lose him. Ya did something so bad he up and left ya—and in this shit storm of a world that's saying something.'

Asha had stopped breathing, her hand's white and clenched tight against her stomach as she looked at him wide eyed. He wasn't quite on the mark, but he was close enough to hurt.

He stepped closer, looming above her, his breath harsh on her face. 'I've seen you Asha, seen the look in ya eyes when ya thought we were between you and Nash...Whatever ya did, ya'd do it again if ya thought it'd help ya.' He leant close, blue eyes broken and seething and hissed in her face. 'There ain't no good ones left—you, Daryl and this whole damn group included.'

Asha had turned and fled.

That had been a low blow, even for Merle. Asha had first been shocked, then angry. But now that her initial reaction had faded, she was mostly just hurt. Odd as it was to realise it, of the group, Merle was the person she was closest too, and it hurt that he had turned on her like that.

But she was worried too.

The conversation played over and over in her head. Merle was volatile for sure, but he had never been that vicious to her before. The more she thought about it the more certain she was that something specific had set him off. She didn't think that she had ever seen him this raw, even when she'd snuck up on him and Daryl in the woods right after the bridge. Half the morning had passed, but she hadn't been able to shake her unease. After pacing the cell block a while, she'd eventually given up and gone to find him. She wasn't really sure what she was going to do when she did find him, but was resolute that she couldn't leave things the way they were between them—even if she had to provide a full explanation of what had happened with Nash. Her stomach turned, but she grimly repressed her misgivings at the thought.

'Merle?'

She jumped as Daryl's voice echoed out of the corridors in front of her. Maybe he'd had a run in with Merle this morning too.

'Merle, you down here?'

Asha started towards Daryl's voice.

'Merle!'

Asha was about to call out to Daryl herself—since it's never a good idea to sneak up on someone who customarily carries around a loaded crossbow—when she heard Merle answer.

'Hey little brother.' The drawl was back in his voice. They were somewhere up ahead, still out of sight. Asha heard Daryl respond, but couldn't quite make out the words.

'I was just about ta holler back at ya,' Merle said.

They were in the boiler room. Asha sidled up to the door, staying out of sight. She grimaced. She seemed to be making a habit out of listening in on people lately—these two in particular.

'Whatd'ya doin' down here?' Daryl asked.

'Looking for a little...ah... crystal, man.' There was false bravado in Merle's tone. 'Yeah, I know. I shouldn't mess my life up when everything's goin' so sweet, right?' Asha could almost feel the smirk dripping off Merle's words.

She heard the soft sounds of someone pacing, Daryl she guessed. 'Ya talk to Rick yet?'

'Yeah, oh yeah... I'm in.' Merle paused. 'But he ain't got the stones for it...He's gonna buckle, ya know that right?'

Daryl was still pacing. 'Yeah, well...if he does he does.'

'Ya want him to?'

There was a telling silence.

'Whatever he says goes,' Daryl said eventually.

'Man, do you even possess a pair of balls, little brother?' Merle jeered. 'Are they even attached? I mean, if they are, they belong to you...Ya used to call people like that sheep. What happened to ya?'

'What happened with you and Glenn?' Daryl retorted. 'Maggie?'

'I've done worse,' Merle said without hesitation.

Asha's skin crawled at the flatness in his voice.

'Ya need to grow up,' Merle continued bitterly. 'Things are different now. Ya people look at me like I'm the devil...grabbin' up those little birds like that. Now y'all want to do the same damn thing I did. Snatch someone up and deliver 'em to the Governor, just like me.'

Asha's heart seized in her chest as Merle's words sunk in.

'Hell, people do what they gotta do, or they die.' Merle said.

'Ya can't do things without people any more man,' Daryl said quietly.

Merle snorted. 'Maybe these people need somebody like me around huh? Do their dirty work? Be the bad guy? Maybe that's how it is now.' There was something vicious and desperate and rancorous in his voice. 'How's that hit ya?'

'I just want my brother back.'

'Get outta here man,' Merle snapped, his voice breaking slightly.

Asha quickly flattened herself behind the door. There was moment's hesitation, then Daryl passed silently through the door and disappeared down the corridor.

Breathe Asha. White spots had started appearing in front of her eyes as she subconsciously held her breath. Her whole body was tense, hands gripping her thighs, nails digging in through her jeans. Her mind reeled trying to absorb what she'd just heard. They were going to give someone up, to trade one of their own to the Governor. Michonne. It had to be. The Governor wasn't interested enough in anyone else for a trade to be worthwhile—except maybe Merle or Rick, and they were obviously both in on this plan.

Asha bit the inside of her cheek, considering just walking away, pretending she hadn't heard what she'd just heard. She wasn't the damn leader of this group and she didn't want to be making decisions about other people's lives.

But then her stomach roiled as Rick's hypocritical words played back through her mind— earn your place...one of us... Her lips drew back in a snarl. She was suddenly furious, at Rick the unworthy lying bastard that these people trusted to keep them safe, at Daryl and Merle for going along with him—even if Daryl was obviously hoping he wouldn't go through with it—and at the whole damn world for becoming such a sick and twisted place. She tasted bile in her throat. She was bitter that her lack of trust in Rick had been validated, and, she was even more bitter to realise, that some tiny part of her had been hoping Rick was what everyone thought, that he was better than she was. That part of her felt horribly betrayed. She hissed through her bared teeth, pried her fingernails out of her legs, and clenched her hands into fists to try to still their shaking. Then she slipped quietly away from the door and went looking for Michonne.

An hour or she was charging frantically back into the boiler room. She hadn't been able to find Michonne...and then she hadn't been able to find Merle. At first she hadn't been worried—because she'd seen Rick and Daryl out in the courtyard helping Glenn reinforce part of the gate and knew they'd be tied up for a while. Stupidly, she'd thought that meant their plan hadn't been put into action yet. But as she'd searched, little snippets of the conversation she'd overheard, and the conversation she'd had with Merle in his cell, played over in her head.

He ain't got the stones…

Maybe these people need someone like me…

There ain't no good people left.

She had a sick feeling in her stomach. Sick enough that she'd detoured past her cell block and slung her spear across her back as she searched. He'd done something stupid. She just knew it.

Daryl and Rick looked up in shock as she hurtled into the room. She pulled up short, out of breath, eyes darting nervously between them.

'You seen Merle,' Rick demanded, taking a step towards her. Her stomach dropped. Too late.

'No,' she gasped, 'and I can't find Michonne either.'

Rick and Daryl both spun on her.

'What the hell do ya know about it?' Daryl growled, appearing suddenly in her face without seeming to cross the intervening distance.

Asha planted the heel of her palm on his chest and shoved back hard. 'I know the three of you were planning to give her up to the Governor.'

Daryl snarled at her.

'How could you do that?' she hissed.

'We're not.' Rick said.

'Bullshit,' Asha snapped. She gestured at Daryl. 'I heard you down here talking to Merle earlier.'

Rick glared at her. 'We were. We ain't.' He turned to Daryl. 'You talked to him about it?'

Daryl turned a couple of paces. 'Yeah. He said a lot of things.'

'Like what?' Rick cut in.

'Like ya didn't have the stones to go through with it,' Daryl grunted, pacing again.

'He's taken her,' Asha said. 'Merle,' she added unnecessarily, even though she knew from the quick look Daryl and Rick shared that they'd already reached the same conclusion.

'I'm going after him,' Rick said.

Daryl shook his head, still pacing. 'Ya can't track for shit.' He started for the external exit at the back of the room.

'Well, then the both of us,' Rick said.

'Nah, just me. I said I'll go and I'll go. 'Sides, when we come back, ya need to be ready.' He pushed the door open. 'Ya family too,' he mumbled. Rick nodded.

Asha didn't say anything, but she followed Daryl to the door.

'Hell no,' Daryl hissed.

'Not askin',' she said, pushing past him.

'Take her,' Rick said. 'I'll feel better if you've got an extra set of hands.' Asha's eyes flashed to Rick's in surprise, then she nodded tightly.

Daryl's mouth twisted sourly.

'We don't have time to argue about it,' Asha said.

'Ya best keep up.' He shoved her out into the sunlight and slammed the door behind them.

'We don't need to track him,' Asha said. 'You know where the handover was supposed to happen right?'

Daryl nodded.

'So let's take the bike. You want to catch them right?'

Before she'd finished speaking, Daryl grasped her arm and directed her at a jog in the direction of the courtyard where the bike was stored.

[A/N: So, I am curious to know whether or not the changing tense around the flashback to Asha and Merle's argument in the first part of this chapter was confusing to read? In my head, the chapter picks up with Asha wandering the tombs, she then starts thinking about the argument she had with Merle and we drop into flashback mode to actually hear the argument. The flashback ends when Asha flees Merle's cell, and then there is a bit of exposition as to why Asha is looking for Merle, before Daryl's voice pulls us back into action in the present. Of course, i know this is how i wanted it to read - but did it actually come across that way?]