I had several people ask if I would post another chapter. This isn't edited so read at your own risk! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for all of the Birthday wishes! This is for the girls over at Fans of Caryl ;) There is no bondage here ladies! Thank you for reading! Hope you all had a safe weekend!

Intuition

The sun was setting when Carol found herself next to one of the freshly stocked ponds. It was the biggest one on the property and it was her favorite one by far. She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there. It was peaceful here. One could forget that the world was close to turning into chaos. She thought of what was to come and she didn't feel afraid. There were clouds rolling in from the south. Another Georgia storm brewing. She welcomed it. Things felt clean after the rain and she felt as though they all needed it.

She heard quiet footsteps behind her but she didn't turn to see who it was. She expected it to be Daryl but when the person stopped right next to her she was surprised to see Merle standing there instead.

"Hi, Merle," she said in a quiet voice as she wrapped her arms around herself. There was a breeze picking up.

Merle was quiet for some time, his eyes following hers across the water. "You outdid yourself with this set up, don'tcha think?"

She felt a smile tug at her lips but she didn't look at him. He was being civil. Kind, even, in his own way. "I wanted a place where we can have a life. You don't understand what it was like out there on the road. The winter nearly killed us all. We were starving. Most nights we didn't have any shelter. When we found the prison it was like heaven at first." She stole a glance at him and noticed that his lips were pressed in a thin line, his eyes hard.

"I don't suppose that was any way for your girl to live. I don't much blame ya for wantin' to make it better for her."

She looked down at his right hand and had the overwhelming urge to touch it. She couldn't explain it but she didn't act on it. She wasn't sure how he would take it. "Sophia wasn't with us then."

"She was dead by then," he nodded. "I saw it."

Carol looked up sharply, a frown forming between her eyes. "Are you already dreaming about the prison?"

He shook his head. "Stopped dreamin'. Least I didn't dream last night. The Governor's dead. I don't figure I got any reason to be dreamin' no more. Not all of'em was about him anyway."

"What do you mean, not all of them were about him?" Now she was confused.

The slightest trace of a smile graced his lips and he met her eyes briefly. "You lost your little and I know it cause my brother told me."

She waited wordlessly.

"He was lookin' for her. In that dream he was damn near dead layin' there in a creek bed with an bolt in his side. Told me you lost your little girl. I gave him shit about it. Even tried to talk him inta killin' Rick when he got back to that farm y'all was holed up in. Didn't figure he'd listen to a damn thing I said. Wasn't no sense in lookin' for the girl. I knew where she was by then."

"You knew she was in that barn?"

Merle's face grew dark. Haunted. He nodded.

"How? How did you know that?"

He looked out across the water and gave a humorless chuckle. "Cause I'm the one that put her in there."

She took a step away from him, her hand going to her throat. "You couldn't have done that, Merle. You were long gone by then. You weren't there."

He shook his head. "I didn't say it made any sense, did I? I still had my hand in that dream too. I found her in the woods. She was already turned. I didn't know how I knew, I just knew I had to get her to that barn. It was important that she was in there with those other biters."

She didn't say anything for a while because her mind was spinning. This didn't make any sense to her at all. The things that the others had been dreaming were things that happened. Things that she had seen happen. She didn't see any reason for Merle to dream something like that. Daryl had never mentioned seeing Merle that day. Of course, because he could not have seen him. Merle hadn't been there. "You said not all of your dreams were about Woodbury. How many others did you have, Merle?" There was almost a hysterical quality to her voice that she tried to stifle.

"I found her alive in a few dreams. Your little girl. In one of'em I was in the woods and I snatched her up while she was runnin' from a couple of biters. She looked me right in the damn face and told me that I had to kill him. I had to kill the Governor. There was somebody else with her. I couldn't really see'em cause they stayed a bit away from me and her. Far as I could tell it was a man but I couldn't tell ya nothin' else. The fucked up thing was, I didn't know what she was talkin' about. In that dream I had different memories. I didn't know who the Governor was."

"Was it Daryl who was with her?" Carol asked, a feeling of dread washing away the peace that she had felt earlier. "Was it someone from our group? Rick?"

Merle shook his head slowly, frowning. "Couldn't really see his face. She wasn't scared in that dream though. She was just real excited like..."

"Is that the reason you did it? You killed Philip because Sophia told you too?"

"I killed him cause of what he turned me into. I killed him cause he needed to be killed. That didn't have a goddamn thing to do with a little girl. Believe it or not, I ain't one to do much listenin' to other people."

She would have laughed at his attempt at a joke but she didn't. She wasn't sure what to think of all of this. It had to have meant something but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it could mean. Sophia had appeared to Merle? Merle Dixon of all people? And instructed him to kill someone? And who was she with? She didn't understand. That sense of dread, that overwhelming sense of impending doom that hit her was intensifying and she didn't understand that either. It was some kind of intuition. Something wasn't right. There was something wrong here and she knew it.

"Hey," Merle said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "You alright?"

She met his eyes and was shocked that he actually seemed to be worried. She realized then that she was shaking. He must have been able to see the fear in her eyes because he huffed loudly and then grabbed her hand. Her eyes grew wide but she didn't pull her hand away. She let him start pulling her towards the house, amazed and half dazed at his sudden change of heart about her.

"Yer shakin' like a goddamn leaf woman. Ain't no reason to get spooked, alright? Hell, after everything, you should be pretty damn solid by now."

She held his hand firmly, somehow feeling comforted by his presents. "Maybe those... Maybe the other dreams were just that. Dreams."

He glanced at her and she could tell from the look on his face that he didn't believe that. She really didn't believe it either. Today was turning out to be an exceptionally strange one. She couldn't seem to slow her mind down and suddenly a terrifying thought had her stopping in her tracks. Her body nearly jerked as realization slapped her in the face with the force of a coal truck. Merle stopped and frowned down at her and then instantly scanned the area around them to try to find whatever it was that had caused her to stop like she had.

"Merle..." She couldn't force her voice to go above a whisper. Her grip on his hand tightened to the point where she knew her nails were digging into his flesh. "This could all be in our heads."

His eyes widened a little but then he shook his head adamantly. "That's bullshit. This is real," he growled but she saw the fear start to brew behind his hard facade.

She raised up the hand that was firmly clasped in his own. "This feels real. Just as real as every single thing I felt at the prison. The ground under my feet the smell of the grass. I felt all of that there, Merle."

He took a deep breath and then suddenly his other hand came up and he brutally flicked the end of her nose.

"Ouch! What is wrong with you!" She yelled as she dropped his hand and stepped away from him. She touched the end of her nose gently with the tips of her fingers. "That hurt, you jerk!"

He shrugged. "You can't feel pain in dreams."

"So you didn't feel it when you sawed off your hand?" She asked as she looked at her fingers to make sure her nose wasn't bleeding.

He made a face. "I forgot about that."

"I seriously doubt that. You did that because you wanted too," she muttered as she pushed passed him and continued on towards the house. She had to admit that it did get her to focus. She was on the verge of a breakdown and he snapped her right out of it. Literally.

"Maybe so," he said as he caught up with her. "Come on, lady. The moment was gittin' a bit on the heavy side."

She rolled her eyes and quickened her step. "Whatever you say, Merle." When they were almost to the house she slowed her steps.

"What?" He asked as he slowed with her.

"I don't think we need to tell Daryl about this. Not yet."

He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a hard look. "I been here less than a day and you already wanna start keepin' secrets from my little brother? You sure as hell didn't hesitate to tell him about me lettin' Ed know where y'all was holed up."

"He worries enough, okay. I don't want him to have to worry about this too. I need time to think. And what you did was horrible. Do you have any idea how hard Ed could make our lives? You had to have known about everything he's done to me."

He scoffed. "I know about everything you let him do to you. Ed ain't nothin' to worry about. I can handle Ed."

She rolled her eyes. "And you really think I believe that. If he came here to kill me and succeeded then you win."

His jaw twitched. "I ain't gonna say that what I did was right but it was right at the moment. Me and you have the same goal in mind, darlin'. Now that I know that, I ain't about to let a damn thing happen to ya."

"And what goal is that?"

"My brother ain't never had a damn thing other than me. I got used to that and when you came along I got pissed off. I didn't know what the fuck was goin' on and all I could think was that you were out to cause him harm. Now I know you ain't. That changes things. Your his. I gotta deal with that. Believe it or not, I want to see my brother happy."

"I told you in the beginning that I wouldn't do anything to hurt him."

He snorted and then started walking towards the house again. "And I told you, I ain't too good at listenin' to folks."

~H~

"What are they doing?" Glenn asked as he watched Merle and Carol from the kitchen window.

Daryl frowned. "I don't know. Looked like they was holdin' hands and then I think Merle hit her in the nose and now it looks like they are arguin'."

"That's what I thought. Should we go out there and see if she needs help?" Glenn asked with one eyebrow raised.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah. If Merle was really out to hurt her she woulda stabbed him by now."

"And Merle holding her hand doesn't bother you?"

Daryl shrugged. "No, it ain't like that. They gotta feel their way around each other and figure out where the hell they stand. Didn't look like any romantic stroll I ever seen anyhow." The corner of his mouth turned up, "Besides, she's pissed off bout somethin'. I can tell by the way she's walkin'. If Merle is tryin' to put any moves on her, he's doin' one piss poor job of it."

They both moved away from the window and headed towards the kitchen table when Merle and Carol made their way to the porch. Carol was the first one in and she actually tried to slam the door on Merle. All Merle did was roll his eyes as he caught it before it could smash him in the face.

"I'm glad you're home," Carol grumbled as she made her way to the table and sat down heavily in the chair next to him. "Did you have any luck?"

Daryl frowned. "I did, but before we get into that, why the hell is your nose so red?"

She scowled and he had to fight to keep from laughing. Her eyes narrowed and then landed on Merle who was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. "Your brother flicked me in the nose."

Daryl eyed Merle who only shrugged.

Carol rolled her eyes. "What did you find out today?"

Daryl motioned towards Glenn. "He knew that T-dog was drivin' a church bus when it first started. He went around and picked up a bunch of people. Glenn knew where T's town was so I just went there and found the church."

She frowned. "Just one church?"

He nodded and then stood up. "Small town."

Merle finally spoke up. "So did ya find the asshole or what?"

Daryl kept his temper in check. He knew Merle and T-dog had a bad history... or future. Whatever. He also knew that it had been Merle's fault. It had taken Daryl a while but he had finally accepted the fact that Merle hadn't really given any of them a choice but to leave him on the roof. It just so happened that T-dog was the one that dropped the key. But that didn't matter now and he wouldn't stand for Merle to treat the guy badly. Not after what he did to save Carol. He was a good man and he was one of them, whether Merle liked it or not. "I told ya. I found the church."

"What good is that gonna do us?" Merle asked.

"Tomorrow mornin' we're goin' to service," Daryl said as he glanced at Carol.

"I be damned! I ain't goin'. Y'all have fun without me," Merle grumbled.

Daryl felt a smile tug at his lips as he nodded. "You're right. You ain't goin' but the rest of us are. You gotta stay here and babysit."

Merle blinked stupidly before he opened his mouth. "What?" He asked, sounding like he was sure he hadn't heard his brother correctly.

"We can't take Penny with us. Somebody has to stay here to keep an eye on her. She can't be left alone," Daryl said. He was secretly enjoying tormenting Merle. He deserved it.

"Why the hell can't Glenn do it?" Merle asked angrily.

Glenn shook his head. "I'm going. I wasn't the one that took her in the first place. She's your responsibility, not mine. Besides, you hate T-dog."

Merle glared at them and then pushed himself away from the counter and headed up the service stairs. Daryl was glad when he didn't put up much more of a fight. He had expected him too but it seemed like a lot of Merle's fight had left him. He wasn't used to this but maybe Merle was really going to be okay. All he could do was hope.

Maggie had gone back home and Lori and Rick hadn't gotten back yet. Rick was trying to find Morgan and his family and Lori was suppose to be out looking for Jacqui. He hoped Lori found her. He had secretly liked the woman a lot. She was always kind to everyone around her. Carol had been the same way but back then she had been so beaten down that she didn't always extend that kindness to others for fear of what Ed would do to her. She hadn't ever been able to do anything right in that man's eyes.

Glenn stood up and stretched. "I think I'm gonna head out to the barn and make sure everything is all set. Hershel said they'll be out early to bring some of the animals over."

"Good idea," Daryl said absently. His eyes were on Carol however. Her eyes were downcast, staring at the table. She seemed to be deep in thought and Daryl felt himself start to panic. Had Merle done more than he thought? Had he hurt her? As soon as Glenn was out the door he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the chair.

"Daryl, what are you..." Her voice trailed off when he gripped her chin and tilted her head so he could get a better look.

"He didn't do anything to ya, did he?" He asked once he had finished looking her over. It would be like her to lie about it just to keep him and Merle from fighting.

"What?" She frowned. "Merle? No! We're doing better, actually. He told me that I didn't have anything to worry about with Ed anymore. He said he wouldn't let anything happen to me."

Daryl dropped his arms from her shoulders to her waist and tilted his head slightly, sure he was hearing this wrong. It wasn't Merle she was talking about, surely. "Merle told ya that?" He asked.

She nodded but she still didn't look quite right. There was something wrong here and he wanted to know what it was. He could see the fear in her eyes. "Daryl, what's wrong?"

"Bout to ask you the same thing," he said as he raised one eyebrow.

She plastered on a fake smile and shook her head, eyes clear and wide. "Nothing's wrong. Everything seems to be working out better than we could have hoped," she rolled her eyes, "Well, other than a few glitches."

He would have at least smiled at that if he was sure that something wasn't wrong but something was. He knew it and she was going to tell him one way or another.