Sorry about the delay with this one. I was finishing up another story and I also had the flu, along with everyone else in my house, so I didn't get a lot of writing done! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I don't much like it but it's something anyway. Sometimes I feel that way about everything I post. Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed the show! =)

I Like You

Carol couldn't keep her hands from shaking. She told herself over and over again that they needed to do this. They had no choice. It was for the greater good of their community. And this was a community. It wasn't just a group. The men had done an amazing job on getting the additional rooms built onto the back of the house. The place was expanding nicely.

It was still hours until daylight yet but she couldn't sleep anymore. She had tossed and turned for most of the night and she knew she was going to end up keeping Daryl awake if she didn't get up and do something else to work off all this extra energy. She crept through the silent house, not needing to turn on any lights. She already knew the place like the back of her hand. When she made it to the kitchen there was already a small light burning.

When she stepped inside she was surprised to see Andrea sitting at the kitchen table, staring dejectedly into a steaming cup of coffee. There were a few candles burning at the table she sat at. They had generators but that didn't mean they could just use up power any time they wanted.

"You okay?" Carol whispered as she sat down in the chair next to the other woman.

Andrea jumped in surprise. When she saw that it was just Carol her eyes softened and she nodded. Carol was actually glad that Andrea was up. What Andrea had revealed earlier had been another reason, among many, that sleep was sparse. Surely Andrea had been mistaken. Lori had been her closest friend for a long time before she had died. Her and Carol had bonded over the long winter on the road. Surely her friend couldn't have been as cold as Andrea implied.

"I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep. Every time I'd drift off I would just jerk myself awake," Andrea said, her voice low.

Carol nodded and they sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke. She would start off with small talk but she wanted answers eventually. "It's strange. This house is always bustling. All this quiet is weird," she said as she glanced around the large room. "Daryl and Merle were talking abut knocking out the wall to the dining room and bringing in more tables so we can all eat together."

Andrea looked towards the doorway to the dining room and nodded. "It's almost a shame. You really lucked out when you found this place. It's beautiful here. I almost wish we could keep it original. But meals together sounds nice too" Carol's heart ached at the sound of the sadness that laced Andrea's every word. "God knows you can count on me to bring a whole lot of ugly to a place this perfect, huh?" She looked away, smiling bitterly into her cup.

"Andrea that's not true at all. Everyone makes mistakes," Carol said quietly. And she meant it. She had made plenty herself.

"That's true. But I seem to make them on a grand scale."

Carol put her hand on Andrea's and leaned closer. She was surprised when Andrea actually took her hand and held it in her own, like she needed to drawl strength from something and Carol was the only one there. "Did you sleep with Rick?" Carol asked, making sure she schooled her face to look compassionate instead of condescending.

Andrea looked away and then nodded. "I don't even know why I did it. I honestly didn't really even want too. He just seemed so broken and I didn't say no."

Carol mentally slapped her since Andrea didn't seem like she would be able to hold herself together if she had done it for real. She took a deep breath and got her emotions under control. Even if Andrea did do something stupid, she was still her friend. She still needed to know that she was valued.

"Well. That certainly wasn't the smartest thing in the world you could have done, but there isn't anything you can do about it now. Now I understand what Merle's problem has been."

"Merle's problem is that Merle is an asshole," Andrea growled.

Carol shook her head, smiling. "His pride is wounded. He's just jealous. He likes you and he hates Rick."

"He acted like I didn't exist. Merle was the last the thing that I was thinking about that night," Andrea said miserably.

Carol rose her eyebrow.

Andrea sighed. "That's a lie. I did think about Merle that night. Carol, what the hell am I going to do? How do I fix this?"

Carol shrugged. "Some things aren't meant to be fixed. We just have to push past them and wait for the dust to settle. This is probably one of those times."

"That sucks," Andrea said, squeezing Carol's hand and smiling that bitter smile.

"Agreed. But even though you've messed up, you're still one of the best people I know," Carol said lightly.

Andrea looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"You risked your life to save me on that farm. That isn't something a woman forgets. I thought for a long time that you sacrificed your life for mine and you very well could have. You don't make the wisest decisions sometimes but your heart is always in the right place. You're not a bad person. Not in that world and not in this one."

Andrea smiled and leaned her head over until it was pressed against Carol's. Carol put an arm over her shoulders and grinned. She was happy to at least make her feel a little better.

"Carol?"

"Hmm?"

"I really wish we were lesbians."

"Holy fuckin' hell, so do I."

The women pulled apart and looked up as Merle stepped into the kitchen, his eyes wide.

"Were you two about to make out or somethin'? By all means, I'm for it. Swear to Christ all I'll do is watch. Not one of ya will have to touch me. I'll just touch myself. Unless you want too and then I'm all yours."

Daryl stepped through just then, studying the two women and then glancing at his brother. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

Andrea and Carol both groaned at the same time. Carol opened her mouth to say something but Merle beat her to it.

"Little brother, you remember those twins that I kept shacked up in that apartment we had down in Savannah?"

Daryl scowled and looked at Carol and Andrea sharply.

"Jesus, Merle. We were not doing anything. Could you be any more of a pig right now?" Carol asked as she rose from the chair and slipped her arm around Daryl's waist. "How is it even possible that the two of you are related?" She asked, unable to hide her annoyance at Merle.

Daryl shrugged and met her eyes questioningly before they flicked towards Andrea. He knew she had been worried about the other woman. She nodded slightly, letting him know that everything was okay.

~H~

Shane's lungs burned and his heart pounded so hard that the only sounds he could hear besides his labored breathing was the blood rushing behind his ears. The woods were dark and anything, including the group they were trying to get away from, could be coming at them and they not even know it.

Tyreese was taller than him, longer legged and had been an athlete before the world had gone to hell. Shane was pretty fit himself and could keep up with the bigger man pretty easily. Sasha on the other hand was shorter and had started falling behind. They couldn't afford to get separated in the middle of the woods so Shane had grabbed her by the hand and the two men had paced themselves for her. Her hand was still in his. Stuck to his really. Both of her hands were covered in blood. There hadn't been any time for freshening up.

Although she had been against it she had went through with his plan. They hadn't had a choice. Shane knew that all three of them would be dead eventually if they didn't. The mood of the group had shifted slightly and Shane had known that it was now or never. He had been hoping it would have been the leader on watch. If any man was capable of evil it was him. He seemed to ooze malice from his pores as readily as sweat. It wasn't anything that he said or anything he had done. It was just there. Evil cloaked the man.

He almost stumbled when Sasha stopped suddenly. She braced her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. He didn't know how long they had been running but it was taking a toll on all of them. They needed to get back to that farm house so they could retrieve the guns he had left there but he wasn't sure if they could find the place in the dark. Hell, he wasn't sure if they could find the place in the middle of the day. He was completely turned around since the first time he had managed to get himself lost out in the woods.

Tyreese leaned against a large tree, taking a moment to catch his own breath. They couldn't keep going like this. They needed to find a place to hole up for a little while. He didn't want to have to rest up out here in the open. Anything could happen, even if one of them did stay awake to keep watch.

"I don't know how much longer I'm gonna be able to do this," Sasha whispered once her breathing became somewhat normal.

Shane ran a hand though his hair and looked around. He listened carefully but couldn't hear anything other than the regular sounds of the woods at night and their heavy breathing. The men at the camp may haven't even realized that two of their men were dead. He wasn't sure how much of a head start they would have. Hopefully no one would know until daybreak, that, judging by his watch, wasn't too far off. "We need to find that damn house. That's where the guns are," he noted as he glanced around, ears alert for danger.

"I'm more worried about finding that farm you were telling us about," Tyreese said suddenly. "I'm starting to wonder if you were telling the truth."

Shane felt his temper spike. "Why the hell would I lie about that?" He snapped.

"Come on, man! How long have we been looking for the road that leads to this place? Huh? You couldn't have gotten that lost in those woods."

"Stop!" Sasha hissed as she stepped between them. "You two don't need to do this here," she turned to her brother, "Do you really think he would have lied about that? You're tired and you're stressed out and that's understandable but we can't be at each others throats right now. Right now the three of us are all we have."

Shane sighed heavily and nodded. "She's right. And I didn't lie about a damn thing. That place is out there. I need a map or somethin'. I'm not from around here. It'd help to know where the hell we are."

Tyreese seemed to lose all of his angry steam then. "Let's just find a road and start walkin'. We'll run into a town or at least a gas station eventually. We can follow the road but keep to the trees as much as we can just in case."

They risked another few minutes for rest before they pressed on. They paced themselves this time, knowing that they had a head start.

~H~

Daryl loaded up the last of the gas cans and then hopped down from the bed of the truck. The bow hung across his back, a lighter weight than what he was used too but comforting all the same. Carol was still in the house making sure Sophia had everything ready and Merle was off somewhere. This left him out there with Andrea. He wasn't uncomfortable around her. Oddly enough he never had been. She came off as a bitch at the beginning but she wasn't so bad. He'd been genuinely hurt when she been bitten.

"So, what the hell is goin' on with you and my brother?" he asked as he sat down on the tailgate.

She looked at him sharply. "Like Carol hasn't told you already," she said miserably, rolling her eyes.

He shrugged. "Nope. Believe it or not we got better things to do than sit around and talk about what the hell everybody else is doin'."

She grinned and cocked an eyebrow at him. "I heard," she said before she took a seat next to him on the tailgate. She kept far enough away so she wasn't touching him. That was what he liked about her. She wasn't stupid. Well, she was kind of stupid, but she wasn't too stupid when it came to him and his social quirks.

"Heard what?" He asked, playing dumb.

"Heard about all your mad skills in the sack, stud," she bumped him shoulder with her own, ignoring the fact that his face was three shades of red. He was going to kick Carol's ass.

"Shut up," he growled and looked down at his boots.

"Nothing is going on between me and your brother. No worries there," she sighed.

"You and Rick then? What the fuck was up with all of that in there last night?" He usually didn't pry. When something wasn't any of his damn business he liked to keep it that way but living in a house with what felt like a hundred other people kind of made things blur and bit.

She groaned. "You know, when it was just you and me this morning I was actually relieved. When did you get so damn nosy?"

He shrugged. "I spose you're right."

She gaped at him. "You aren't going to give up that easily are you?"

He shook his head and glanced towards the door. "Ain't none of my business. Just curious is all. I ain't gonna beg for information."

"I slept with Rick," she blurted. If he didn't know any better he would swear there was a challenge in her voice.

He looked at her. "I figured as much. Lori has always been a bit of a..."

"A raging bitch? Yeah, I remember," she snapped. "I slept with your brother first."

Daryl's eyes widened. "In the same night?"

Her face screwed up into an impressive grimace. "God! No, not in the same night."

He shook his head and slipped off the tailgate just as Merle stepped inside. "What the hell are you two out here doin'?" He asked, giving them a hard look.

"What the hell does it look like?" Andrea asked angrily as she slid off and slammed the tailgate shut.

"With you it's hard tellin," he grumbled.

Daryl watched as Andrea spun around, her hands on her hips and a glare in her eyes that would probably drop a walker dead.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" She asked, her voice harsh and cold.

Merle just stomped right past her. "You're wastin' your time with that one, Blondie. He ain't the type to have a cheap tumble. He's a happily... taken man."

"You're never going to change are you?" Andrea asked angrily.

Carol showed up in the doorway to the carriage house then, locking eyes with him before entering. "Everything okay out here?"

Merle looked up at her and then his eyes cut to Daryl. "Not a thing now. I think I might have interrupted my baby brother and Blondie here durin' a little bondin' moment though. Best keep your eye on him, darlin'."

Daryl felt his temper spike. The last thing that any of them needed was for Carol and Andrea to be at each others throats and Lori had already said something along those lines last night. If Merle just caused any stress between him and Carol then he was going to put a bolt in his brother's ass before they left out. His eyes watched Carol's face as she studied Merle and then he frowned when she laughed lightly.

"Merle, you're full of shit," she said with a grin.

Merle laughed, like the jackass he was. "See you two? Carol gets me. Why can't you get those sticks outta your asses?"

Carol just shook her head and gave him an indulgent smile before her eyes went back to Daryl. "There's a few more things I need to grab before we go. You want to come help me?" She asked. It was an innocent question but he saw something in her eyes that he knew all too well.

He pushed away from the wall and strode towards her, feeling the blood running faster through his veins. She gave him a knowing smile and turned on her heel. "We'll be leaving in about thirty minutes, you two," she called over her shoulder. "If you can think of anything else then you might want then grab it now."

Thirty minutes? Daryl smiled to himself as he watched the swing of her hips through the dark yard. Thirty minutes would be plenty enough time.

~H~

Merle watched as his brother slunk out the door like a whipped pup. He smiled slightly, knowing full well what it was that Carol planned on grabbing real quick before they made it out. His brother's dick. That was exactly what she was after this morning and Daryl knew it.

He still found it hard to believe that his fidgety ass little brother had a hotter sex life than he did. It was a damn shame was what it was. The little bastard had it bad, that was for sure.

"Why would you say that?" Andrea hissed from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to hear her bitching but it was better than the shit she was pulling last night. He couldn't deal with all of that crying shit. "She knew I was just fuckin' around. Jesus, can't a man make a joke around here?"

"After everything that's happened I would think that you would know that joking about that wouldn't be very funny," she fumed.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Look Blondie. Nothin' too awful happened, alright. Me and you fucked. I decided to act an ass and avoid ya and you went off and fucked the good sheriff. Ain't none of that any reason to lose your shit over." He meant his words. He didn't know why he had gotten so pissed when he found out about Rick but that was in the past. Merle wasn't the live in the past kind of guy.

"It's more than that Merle. I hurt Rick and Lori both." She paused but he knew she wasn't done so he kept his back turned and his mouth shut. "You hurt me. Maybe in your world that kind of thing is okay but in mine it isn't."

He frowned and finally turned around to look at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest. It wasn't her usual defiant stance. She seemed more to be holding herself together with her arms alone. That bothered him more than it should. He was just fucking around with her. He didn't like to think of her as some pansy little bitch. He also didn't like the accusation she had thrown at him. She ran off and slept with another man and now wanted to say that he had hurt her? What about what she had done to him by running off and climbing in bed with...

He stopped the thoughts that were pummeling his brain. What the hell was wrong with him? He physically shook his head, trying to clear it a little. He didn't want her to think that the world was against her. He wanted that hard core ass kicking woman back. The same woman he had fallen on his ass for out on that wall. He didn't like this crying weak pathetic shell of that woman.

Without another thought about it he walked up to her and hated that she held herself just a little tighter and didn't meet his eyes. He took his finger and lifted her chin so she wouldn't have a choice but to look at him. When her eyes finally met his they were questioning and wet. He didn't move his hand away from her face because suddenly he had the overwhelming urge to touch her.

His thumb barely brushed past her full bottom lip as his palm flattened out on her flushed cheek. "Look, Blondie," he said in a quiet gruff voice, "I like you. I like fuckin' you, I mean," oh man this was harder than he thought, "I mean, I had a good time." What the fuck? He was fumbling worse than his dipshit brother. He let out a heavy breath but refused to give up. Now it was a matter of principle. She probably thought he was a goddamn retard. "Me and you are alright, is what I'm tryin' to say. I fucked up. You fucked Rick. We're even. No hard feelins' and shit." There. That wasn't so bad.

The ghost of a smile crossed her lips and she finally unwrapped her arms from around herself. "If I didn't know any better, Merle, I would swear that you were just now trying to be sweet to me."

He felt a scowl grace his features. Yeah, he had to remedy this shit right now. Sweet? This woman really had lost her mind. He'd show her sweet. "How bout you return the favor."

She frowned. "What?"

"We got just enough time for a blow job in the truck before Carol and my brother show back up." He grinned and then winced when she punched him hard in the chest.

"In your dreams, asshole," she said lightly as she turned and walked away.

He watched her go, rubbing the smarting spot on his chest. There was a brand new swing to her ass though and that made the hit worth it. She glanced over her shoulder then.

"Maybe when we get back." She winked and then slipped out the door.

Merle Dixon stood there grinning like an idiot.