I've been excited to finally get this chapter out! Thank you all for reading! You guys make my day and relieve my stress when it comes to this fic. Your support is amazing and I am forever grateful for it! I hope you like reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! =)

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Fates Aligning

"Are you sure you got the address right?" Andrea asked as she looked at the massive structure in front of them.

"Carl is the one that found it on the internet. Said he was pretty sure and Sophia said everything still felt like we was on the right track," Merle said quietly as he took in the mansion in front of him. "You sure Jenner didn't mention havin' himself a bunch of kids or anything? Don't see the sense in havin' a house so damn big for just two people. Hope we ain't gotta bring a bus load back with us."

He glanced over at her in time to see her roll her eyes at him. "I don't think they have a house full, Merle. Some people just like a lot of space. He would have mentioned if he had lost his children too."

"Some people waist their fuckin' money," he groused.

"What would you spend your money on?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious as she flashed him a smile. Maybe earlier he would have smiled back. He wasn't much in the mood for smiling anymore.

"None of your damn business," he said in return, his voice as dark as his mood had become.

Her smile faltered and she bit her lip nervously, glancing back towards the house. "How do we do this?"

Rick cleared his throat from the backseat. Andrea had went through her purse until she found some tissue to clean up his nose but Ricks eyes were already turning black and his nose was still a mess. "I was thinking about just walking up to the door and trying to explain things to them. Now I don't think that would be the best idea." There was a whiny nasal quality to his voice that Merle wanted to laugh at but he kept his mouth closed.

Merle shot Andrea one last annoyed look before he got out of the Hummer and surveyed his surroundings. Andrea joined him but Rick, wisely, stayed in the car. The only thing he would end up doing was scare them off with his busted nose.

"What do you think we should do?" Andrea asked.

Merle shrugged. "You can go do whatever the hell you want, blondie. I'm goin' to find Candace Jenner." He didn't wait for her to respond. He walked up the long walk, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that may come at them. She caught up with him and grabbed his hand to try to stop him. He jerked away from her and spun around, glaring.

"Maybe we should try to hash out a plan or something," she said quickly, seeming unfazed by his hard look.

"No time. We got to get our asses back to the farm. Ain't got time for no bullshit." He turned and stormed off towards the house once more, his eyes watching. He wasn't sure if he would be seeing any walkers yet but he didn't want to take a chance of getting caught off guard just in case.

He didn't hesitate. He rang the doorbell as soon as he reached it. He felt Andrea tensing at his side. He didn't even spare her a glance. Rick's words still slithered around in his head, causing him to question the motives of the group. Everyone that had had a kind word for him. Was it an act to keep his brother from having to deal with the fallout like he had before? He didn't have anymore time to dwell on it because suddenly the door was yanked open and a hurried looking woman peered at them.

"Can I help you?" She asked quickly, her eyes raking over Merle and then settling on Andrea.

Andrea smiled and nodded. "Yes, are you Candace? Candace Jenner?"

The woman frowned and then nodded. "Yes?"

"We need your help," Andrea said quickly.

The woman smiled slightly but there was little humor in it. "Miss, the whole world needs help at the moment."

"Well, we think that we can help you help the world," Andrea said quickly. "Is your husband home?"

The woman glanced behind her but didn't have to say anything. Edwin Jenner stepped behind her, his tall frame towering over the small woman. Merle felt like they were wasting time here. Andrea could make small talk all goddamn day and nothing would come of it. These people didn't know them and sure as shit didn't look as though they would willingly take a road trip with a couple of strangers.

Without a seconds thought he pulled his gun from his pants and pointed it at the man. He was pretty big, and Merle wasn't taking any chances with the guy. The man put his hands up, his face filling with fear as he glanced down at his wife. Candace gasped, her wide eyes shifting from Andrea to Merle.

"Damn it, Merle!" Andrea hissed. "Are you insane?"

"No. I'm impatient," he retorted calmly, never taking his eyes from Jenner's. "Look, no one is gonna get hurt here. We just need you to come with us. If you don't then you're pretty little wife here is gonna find herself dead."

"No! He doesn't mean that we'll kill you. Either of you. We just need you to listen. Merle put the damn gun down!" Andrea was in full panic mode and Merle couldn't help but wish, once more, that he had done this on his own. Women were too damn dramatic for this kind of work.

He didn't take his eyes from Jenner's. "You two need to come with us. Hear us out and then we'll take your asses right back to the CDC ourselves. If you don't then your wife is gonna get bit and you're gonna be the one to put a bullet in her head." He didn't know if it was those words or the calm tone with which he delivered them but something in Jenner's face changed.

"We'll go with you," he said firmly, nodding to Andrea and then meeting Merle's eyes again.

"Edwin, no..." Candace began but Jenner just shook his head.

"It's okay. If they wanted to hurt us they already would have. Isn't that right?" He was looking at Merle again.

Merle nodded and then stepped out of the way so they could walk around him. Candace looked back over her shoulder, giving Merle a pleading look. "Please, we need to get back to work. You don't understand."

"I understand more than you do lady. Some fucked up virus is spreadin' like wild fire and we're all infected with it. That's why we're here. To keep your ass alive long enough to try to stop it."

Merle was looking at Candace, like a dip shit, when he saw Jenner coming from the corner of his eye. Jenner was pretty big but he wasn't used to fighting. Merle on the other hand was. He sidestepped the other man and then quickly slammed the butt of the gun into the back of his skull. Jenner dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Candace shrieked and dropped to her husbands side and Andrea, the crazy bitch that she was, socked Merle right in the jaw. He was damn impressed because that shit hurt.

"Merle! Have you lost your damn mind?" Andrea hissed angrily as she crouched next to the downed man.

"We ain't got time for this shit. Help me get him to the car," Merle grumbled. "What the hell was I suppose to do? Let him kick my ass?"

"What's going on here?" Rick's voice floated up from the Hummer and Merle looked up just as he was getting out. He rushed over and knelt down next to Jenner, keeping close to Andrea.

"Are we gonna keep screwin' around or are we gonna get his ass back to the farm?" Merle huffed and then yanked a barely conscious Edwin Jenner up from the grass, steadying him as best he could.

"I thought you weren't going to hurt us?" Candace stood up with her small fists clinched at her sides.

Merle rolled his eyes. The last damn thing he needed was another spitfire woman to deal with. "He came after me lady. We don't have time for this shit," Merle grunted as Rick came to help him move Jenner to the car. He glanced around but the houses weren't close to one another and there didn't seem to be a soul alive that was watching.

Once they had Edwin and his wife situated in the back seat Merle went to climb into the driver's seat but before he could he was stopped when Andrea yanked his hand off the handle. He slammed the door shut again and glared down at her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She hissed.

Merle chewed on the inside of his jaw. His temper was slipping. He was going from pissed off Merle to self loathing Merle. All he wanted to do was get the fuck back to the farm so he could find a minute to himself. He had to think about a few things. His look grew even harder when he saw the look in her eyes soften.

"Merle, is this about what Rick said back there?"

His nostrils flared. "This was about gittin' these two back to the farm as quick as we could."

She shook her head. "You can't be stupid enough to believe what he said."

"I don't much care either way, Blondie. I ain't leavin' my baby brother so looks like y'all are stuck with me either way." His voice came out cold but she didn't seem to even notice.

"Good, cause we have a lot of stuff to do before our baby here is ready," she muttered as she gave the Hummer an affectionate pat. She handed him the keys and went around the front to the passenger door.

When Merle got in he felt some of his anger ebb away a little. He glanced back and noticed Rick glaring at him. He wasn't sure what Rick was so pissed off about. Whether he was mad about getting his ass kicked or because he thought Merle was moving in on his woman. He didn't much care. It made the grin slip easily onto his lips right before he turned in his seat and pulled away from the curb.

~H~

Daryl shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from picking at his cuticles or chewing on his thumb nail. They had heard the sound of a vehicle approaching. They couldn't see anything yet because the trees were in the way. Carol had her arms wrapped around herself and Sophia sitting in one of the chairs by the front door. They waited on the porch to see who would be the first to arrive.

It wasn't a formal occasion by any means but Carol had insisted that they all clean up a bit. He hadn't realized that he had dressed almost just like his brother until it was too late. The only difference being his own black t-shirt had sleeves and his vest had wings. She had even forced him to comb his hair. As he ran his hand through it he couldn't help the small victory smirk that graced his face. He'd have messy hair if he wanted, damn it.

He studied Carol as she leaned into the banister, bracing herself with her arms. The shirt she had on was an off white peasant blouse, or he thought that's what she called it anyway. It hugged her waist but was otherwise light and flowy in the sleeves and the hips. Her jeans were faded and hugged her thighs before they flared out at the bottom. He licked his lips as his eyes roamed over her neck.

As if she could feel his eyes on her she turned her head quickly, the sun catching the blue in her eyes in a way that had him blinking like an idiot. "What?" She asked as a smile played around her lips.

"You look like a hippie," he muttered. He was still pissed off that she felt the need to remind him to comb his hair like he was a kid but he couldn't keep the husky quality from his voice.

"You look like a..." Her eyes slid down his frame slowly and then she bit her lip as she looked back up, meeting his own heated gaze. He noticed his breathing pick up slightly as his heart sped up. He knew that look and would have killed to know what was going through her mind at the moment. He wasn't used to being looked at that way. Not by a person that he wanted just as badly. She cleared her throat. "You look nice," she said before her head snapped back towards the driveway.

An older model SUV that looked vaguely familiar pulled in and parked next to Daryl's bike.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen that car before," he muttered.

She shook her head. "Me too. I'm just not sure where."

"Go on in the house, Sophia. Just in case," Daryl said as he took another step so he was standing next to Carol.

He didn't have to tell the girl twice. She was in the house in a flash. He had almost forgotten that she had been sitting there behind him at all with how quiet she had been.

He watched a man get out of the SUV and wave at them tentatively. Carol's hand found his and gripped it tightly. He led her off the porch, knowing that she was a bit speechless at the moment. He would have to take the lead here.

"Can we help you folks?" He almost winced. He didn't like taking the lead and he could hear the nervous timbre in his voice.

Carol's squeezed his hand harder as they made their way towards the man. The passenger side door opened and another familiar face appeared, coming around the front of the car and standing next to her husband.

"I'm sorry to bother you folks. We weren't even sure if that driveway of yours would lead us to a house or not. We didn't see a mailbox and nearly passed up the drive. Our car started making an awful sound about a mile back. It just keeps getting louder." He stuck out his hand for Daryl to shake, a ready smile on his face. "I'm sorry, the name's Morales and this is my wife Miranda. I wouldn't bother you but we have two children in the car and with all of this craziness going on I didn't want to be stranded on the road."

Morales's grip was firm. Daryl nodded. "Dixon. Daryl Dixon. This is... uh..."

"Carol," Carol finally found her voice as she shook hands with Morales and his wife. Thank God. "And don't be sorry at all. It's much too dangerous out there for you to be stranded with children."

Morales looked relieved as he put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "We aren't from around here. We were just leaving the city. Looks like everyone had the same idea so we took back roads mostly. Do you know of anyone that can take a look under the hood? I don't know enough about stuff like this. I guess I should have thought of that before loading up my family and fleeing."

"Not at the moment but we are expecting a lot of company this afternoon. Surely someone will be able to take a look at it," Carol smiled brightly. "In the meantime why don't you and the kids come on in out of this heat. We're having a dinner here in a bit, there's plenty to go around."

Miranda shook her head and glanced at her husband before smiling at Carol. "We couldn't ask you to do all of that."

"You didn't," Carol said firmly. "I insist. Our friend's son and our daugh..." she glanced up at Daryl, her face momentarily shocked at what she had almost said. He nodded to her to go on, knowing she was afraid that he wouldn't approve of her saying that. It actually had the opposite effect on him. She cleared her throat and went on, "Daughter, and our niece is in there somewhere. I'm sure they would love to show your children around."

Morales shared a look with his wife and then he shrugged. Miranda looked from Daryl back to Carol. "Thank you so much, if it wasn't for the kids we probably would have just kept going." She opened the door and two small bodies scurried out of the car. When they looked up Daryl could barely recognize them. He hadn't paid much attention to anyone at the camp back in the beginning.

"This is Eliza and Louis," Morales introduced them. Both kids smiled shyly as Daryl nodded mutely and Carol gave them a kind smile.

"You two like horses?" She asked brightly.

Both of their eyes lit up, especially the little girl. Daryl figured that was just a little girl thing though. Hershel had brought all of his animals to the farm. No one had expected him to give his own up but he must have been dreaming a while because he did so easily. He almost died trying to hang on to that damn farm. Daryl was happy he didn't put up a fight.

Morales and his family followed them up the porch steps. Miranda was glancing around with wide eyes. "This place is beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen one of these old plantation mansions up close before."

"Thanks," Carol said as she breezed through the front door.

The foyer was thankfully empty. Daryl yelled up the stairs for Sophia. Morales and his wife were glancing around. Sophia and Carl came bounding down the stairs but then stopped in their tracks when they saw who was standing there. Sophia could barely hide her grin as she glanced at Carl. They made their way down the stairs more slowly now.

"Sophia, Carl, this is Eliza and Louis. Would you two mind grabbing Penny and showing them the horses?"

Carl took off up the stairs and was back quickly with Penny in tow. Penny kept her head down and brushed past Morales and his wife without looking up. She was good at that.

"She's shy," Carl explained as the children followed Penny out the door.

"Keep the hell away from Nelly, Sophia!" Daryl called after them.

Carol grabbed his hand again before they made their way further into the house. Lori would remember Morales and his family but most of the others wouldn't. Merle, Rick and Andrea would remember. Daryl was suddenly anxious for his brother to finally get his ass back to the farm. He hoped they had been lucky. They needed Candace Jenner.

~H~

Merle was thankful that the Jenner's lived far removed from the actual city of Atlanta. This was around the time that people would start to evacuate and he sure as shit didn't want to get stuck in that mess. He knew all sorts of round about ways to go though. The road they had taken in was already becoming jammed with like minded motorists. He turned on a remote road leading away from the direction they needed to be going in. He knew of a roundabout that not many people used.

"Where the hell are you going?" Andrea asked, eyes narrowing before they settled on him.

"You remember how bad it got? I ain't tryin' to get stuck in that mess. Ain't to fond of bein' followed out neither. I know what I'm doin'," he said absently as he squinted into the sun.

They drove on in silence for a while until Merle saw something up ahead. It looked like someone was broke down on the side of the narrow back road. He didn't even pretend to get his foot near the break. He was going to keep going. He wasn't obligated to save anybody. He got the people that he was sent to fetch and that was it.

"Merle," Andrea said quickly, "Slow down."

He shook his head and settled his foot on the gas a little harder. He felt her hand on his arm, causing him to frown. What the hell was her problem today? Didn't she learn by now that people couldn't be trusted.

"Stop!" She yelled just as they blew past the car with the hood up. Her nails were digging into the muscle of his forearm. There was a man standing off to the side, waving his arms. On the other side of the car stood a petite redhead with three little girls. Merle recognized the man right away and his jaw clenched painfully.

"Merle please!" Andrea nearly shouted and with a gutteral growl he slammed his foot on the break.

He glanced in the mirror and saw the man jogging towards them. "You know who that is," Merle said hotly from between clenched teeth.

"And you see who he has with them. You know they didn't make it. Now they will," she snapped and then jumped out of the Hummer before Merle could say anything else. He cursed under his breath and looked back, meeting Rick's eyes.

To Merle's surprise Rick nodded. "Go," he said, motioning towards where Andrea was now making her way towards the man. The man and his family. Merle hadn't even known the man had had a family before the outbreak. It made more sense now.

He made his way towards where Andrea was now standing talking to the man. He stopped right next to her and the man looked at him, his features more relaxed than Merle had ever seen them before.

"I don't know what happened. We just broke down. I wasn't sure what the hell we were going to do. It's just my wife, Amber, and my girls," he put his hand out to shake Merle's. Merle almost didn't take the offered hand but Andrea looked at him hotly. His grip on Merle's hand was firm. "Name's Ceasar Martinez. That's my wife, Amber and that's Lillian, Anna and the youngest one is Mia. Thanks so much for stopping."

Merle nodded and grunted out his response. "Merle. Merle Dixon." His gaze slid over to the woman and kids and his blood seemed to freeze in his veins. Without giving it any thought at all he pulled the gun out of the waistband of his pants. The woman saw him aim the gun at her and her mouth dropped open right before he pulled the trigger. The sound of the youngest girls screams was drowned out by the sound of the shot.