Epilogue

Well, I think this story has come to a natural conclusion and I can't really see what else is going to happen after this chapter. But I wrote other stories if you're interested and in each of them, Merle and Daryl's relationship is slightly different and sometimes they cross that line, ha ha. Sorry, I couldn't resist – they make such a cute couple with the protective/possessive big brother/little brother dynamic, even if they're brothers!

6 years later

They were out hunting when Merle put his finger on his lip. Daryl, trailing behind him just assumed that he'd found a really big buck. His stomach growled hungrily and he paused to take stock of his surroundings. Merle carried on without him, intent on his prey.

But it was no deer. Carl stepped out of the bushes. A slim, good-looking young man of 18, he'd changed a lot, filled out some but there was no mistaking that it was him.

'Daryl? Merle?' He breathed. 'That you?'

'Carl?' Merle had his shotgun trained on him, level with his heart. 'I ought to kill ya, you little shit. They were gonna kill me! But we both know the truth, don't we!'

'Merle!' Daryl called out, warningly.

'I'm...I'm sorry!' Carl stammered. He looked like he didn't know whether he should stay and face them or make a quick exit, torn between the two.

'Sorry's don't make up for people thinkin' I was a fuckin' kiddie-fucker!'

Merle growled and flicked the safety off.

'Merle, no! He was just a scared kid back then!' Daryl cried. 'Ya can't jus' go around killin' people!'

His brother growled but lowered the gun. 'Get lost, kid, before I change my mind.'

'My Dad's dead.' Carl blurted out, desperately seeking a reason to get his attention.

Daryl stared at him.

'The whole group got wiped out except for a few of us who got out.'

'So? Why should we care?' Merle snapped callously and turned and was ready to go.

But the younger Dixon had pricked up his ears. 'What happened?' He asked softly.

Merle looked juat about ready to leave. 'I ain't hangin' around, listenin' to this shit. Those people were gonna have us killed!'

'You, not me.' Daryl whipped his head around and snapped at him. He took in the boy. He looked rough, his eyes had that haunted look that spoke of happiness denied and despite the fact that they were were still angry with him even years later, he felt pity for him. He'd suffered, clearly.

'Ya know what ya did, son. Ya lied! We could have protected you.'

'I know, I'm sorry.'

'What happened to the group? When?' Daryl was desperate to know.

'About a couple of years ago, we got attacked by a real big herd.' He paused and his voice cracked. 'Merle, Glenn and Beth didn't make it. Herschel did but he died a few months after, they say of a broken heart.'

'Oh God.' Daryl buried his head in his hands and groaned. He'd liked the old man, he always had a soft voice when he spoke to him. Kind of like Dale.

'They came out of nowhere, at night. We didn't stand a chance.' The teenager continued his story, hands trembling and clearly on the verge of tears.

Maybe you would have if you had believed us. Daryl thought to himself sourly as he relented and put an arm around his shoulders, watched by Merle who shook his head and glared at them.

'Come on. It's all over now. Who's left?' He waited with bated breath, his head only full of one name.

'Me, Dale, Andrea, Dale and Carol.'

Carol! Carol was alive. His heart leapt with gladness but then stopped when he realised he hadn't mentioned the baby. Not a baby anymore, he corrected himself. She must be about 6 or 7 now.

'And Little-Asskicker?'

'My sister's fine.' But then a cloud covered his face.

'And ya Dad...Did he stop after we were gone?'

Merle rolled his eyes and glowered pitilessly Rick's son. It was clear that he wasn't going to forgive him anytime soon and felt little compassion.

Carl bowed his head. 'No.' He admitted almost inaudibly.

'Well, that's kinda ya own fault, ain't it, boy?' Merle snapped.

'Bro – do ya mind? Stop bullyin' him!' His brother snarled back at him and jerked his head at Carl meaningfully.

'I'm sorry.' Daryl told him.

'Yeah, well, Merle's right. It was all my own fault. I deserved everythin' I got.'

'No, no ya didn't. Nobody deserves that shit. Nobody!'

'I killed him! Shot him by 'accident'. When he took me out 'hunting' but that wasn't what we were really doin'. He was huntin' me and I knew what he wanted, what he always fuckin' wanted and he was still stronger and bigger than me. I jus' couldn't take it any more when he...when he...'.

'So...' Merle drawed. 'The little pussy finally got some balls.' Merle mocked.

Daryl growled at him before he turned back to the boy. 'Ya don't have to explain. Ya did the right thing.' Daryl soothed and gave him a quick squeeze. 'I can't believe no-one noticed what he was doin'. We should have done somethin' about it earlier.'

'He was real careful about when and where he did me, especially after what you both said. I'm fuckin' glad he's dead! Wish I would have killed him sooner!'

'Never mind.'

'Yeah, whatever.' Merle snarled, getting really impatient now and Daryl saw to his surprise, jealous. He was jealous of Carl? Why?

But he knew the real reason. His brother was jealous of anyone who he let get close to new there.

'Come on. Now ya know, we can get out of here. The little punk might accuse me of more sick things otherwise.' He cut in angrily.

'Merle! He's said his sorry!' Daryl glared at him but then turned back eagerly to Carl. 'Where are ya now? Must be nearby, right?'

'We found a prison. It's safe and more people have joined us now but we need to be careful who we let in.'

'Who's in charge now?'

'Shane.'

Daryl inwardly sighed while his brother snorted with derision.

'Come on. I don't want to stay around the little prick longer than I have to!' Merle was decided on leaving.

'NO!' Daryl roared. 'Don't ya see? We can go home. No more living in the woods out of cabins or hiding from the herds.'

Merle snarled and bared his teeth like a rabid animal at Carl who recoiled. 'Fine but ya ever so much as look at me the wrong way, boy and I'll make ya wish ya'd never born.'

'That's enough!' Daryl slapped him back down again. 'Don't ya think he's been through enough?'

'Him? Him? What about me?'

'Stop bein' such a brat.'

'Are ya gonna tell'em that I didn't touch ya?' Merle asked Carl. 'Will they believe you?' His tone was less angry now when he spoke to him for the first time and Daryl could see with relief that even his hard-ass brother was coming around.

'Already did.'

The Dixons looked surprised.

'They already know... Come on. I'll show you where we live. It's only about a couple of miles.'

They fell into step and they were all reminded of happier, old times. Merle reluctantly, most of all. Now they noticed the brace of squirrels hanging from the teenager's hip and the dangling knife in its sheath hanging from his silver belt.

'Wait up. What do you mean they already know?' Merle stopped them to demand answers from Carl who looked nervous.

'He said I wasn't enough for him anymore.' He shivered. 'He...He said he wanted Judith too...because he was convinced that she wasn't his.'

'Fuck! Just when I thought he couldn't get any more twisted.' Merle butt in in disgusted fury, despite his determination to not care and wash his hands of them. 'She must have been what – what – 4? 5? That's sick.'

Carl sank to the base of a tree and buried his face in his hands as he began to sob.

Daryl lowered himself so that he was sitting beside him. 'Come on, it's OK.'

'No, it AIN'T!' His brother yelled. 'None of this is OK! Do we really want to get mixed up with them again?'

'Shut up, Merle.'

'What happened?' The younger Dixon brother put his arm around the boy's shoulder then and they all felt a sense of deja vu.

'When he started threatening her that way as well, I lost it.'

'Did he...?' Daryl breathed shakily.

'No! I didn't let him. Never left him alone with her but I could see the way he was looking at her...' He shuddered. 'It made my skin crawl and then I knew he'd hurt her one day. I knew I couldn't take the chance of lettin' that happen...me, I knew was fair game. I was used to it but her? I wasn't gonna let him touch her.'

He paused briefly and raised his eyes to meet theirs. Daryl nodded for him to go on.

'He didn't know it but it turned out Carol had followed us and heard him threaten her, heard him tell me to take my clothes off and stand facing against that tree like he always did. She said that she'd been suspicious for a long time, didn't buy the story that Merle would really hurt a kid...especially in that way.'

He paused. 'She saw me shoot him, knew it wasn't an accident. She told me she understood why I'd done it.

The Dixons had wondered why someone hadn't figured it out sooner. Probably because they didn't want to believe that their leader, the man they all followed was capable of abusing his own son.

'Ya did good, kid.' Daryl ruffled his hair.

'He was still my Dad!' Carl sniffed. 'And I murdered him. Why did he do it to me? Threaten Jude like that?

'Becuase he was sick.' Daryl soothed. 'Ain't none of it your fault.'

'But lyin' about it is.' Merle interrupted, earning himself a warning glare from his brother. He was thinking, How can he forget what he did to us? He nearly got me killed for fuck's sake!

They got up and dusted their pants and the Dixons let Carl lead the way.

'Now, ya sure we're gonna get a warm welcome?' Daryl asked him. 'Or a bullet to the brain?'

'Sure. Nobody blames me for killin' my Dad after Carol told them what happened. She says I had to, to protect myself and my sister because nobody deserves to live like that.'

Daryl knew that she had known what she was talking about. He'd seen the bite-marks and healed slash marks on her body that she always kept covered. Like he did with his back.

That's why she hadn't reacted when she saw it that first time.

'I still don't like this.' Merle hissed.

….

Carol came running out of the gate as if she knew they were coming. She hadn't exactly, but had thought that it was a good idea just then to hang out her and the kids' washing. That's when she saw them, in the distance, her first thought was They've found more people. I hope they're decent.

But as they got closer, she had just stared because she thought she recognised that confident, masculine swagger – not only Merle, but Daryl. With his trademark crossbow hanging off his back.

'Daryl!' She screamed and soon the others came streaming out thinking she was shouting out 'Walker' or 'Herd'.

They stopped dead in their tracks, the original group members who were there when the Dixons got exiled.

She was tentative at first, unable to believe that it him with his brother following behind the Dixons.

'Daryl?' She reached out to touch his cheek. 'Is it really you? Shane and Dirk said they let you two out in the middle of nowhere but I always wondered what had happened. Whether you...you were...' She gulped, unable to finish her sentence.

Daryl responded by laughing loudly and spinning her around before he set her down again and kissed her gently on the lips. She was a little taken aback to say the least with everyone watching. He'd been the one who wanted to keep it all a secret, at least for a while, all those years ago.

Especially when they clapped, their relationship was now made official.

Merle came out from behind Carl. 'Happy to see me?' He glared at the members of the old group.

'I think we have an apology to make.' Shane stepped forward and held out his hand but Merle looked down on it with distaste, refusing to shake. 'We got it wrong. What more can I say? I'm ashamed to the bottom of my soul that we thought that about you and the whole time it was Rick.'

'Weren't all their fault.' Carl spoke up. 'I lied.'

…

'Welcome back. ' Shane tried to extend his hand again and this time Merle took it. 'Ya still an asshole, though.' He muttered with bad grace and Daryl thumped him hard on the back. 'Behave.' He hissed.

Later that night, Carol showed Daryl where she lived and they finally had the privacy they had craved before in the small prison cell. He looked around a little apprehensively and as he did, he unconsciously hunched his shoulders a little.

She held out her arms to him. 'Come here. I want to look at you.'

He went over and sat next to her like a small child. 'I don't like small places.' He mumbled but didn't tell her that it was mainly because his Dad used to lock him in the closet. Once, he left him in there for two days –to only shove him a crust of bread or a glass of water. It had seemed like an eternity to a 5 year old kid.

'Sh...Me neither but you can grow to like it. Then, it starts to feels like home.'

She took his face in her hands to examine it clearly. He had a few more fine lines on his forehead and around the mouth, with a little more white in his short salt and pepper beard but otherwise he looked exactly the same.

She wondered how he saw her. What changes did he see in her after 6 years? Did he still want her?

He huddled even smaller and bowed his head and she took his hand. She felt safe with this man in a way Ed had never made her feel. Not even in the beginning when they were high-school sweethearts dating. There had always been something on edge about him...volatile. At the beginning,she thought it was his love for her that made him so possessive and controlling but she soon learned that he didn't care for her. In the first year of marriage, he hadn't directed his anger at her but at objects, throwing them around before he started using her to get rid of his anger.

She stroked his calloused hands and he shuddered. Suddenly he reached forward to kiss her. Gently at first but then with more passion. More need, more greed.

'I could kill that kid.' He said when they came up for air. 'Six years away from you...But I couldn't lose my brother. Not again.'

'I know...I know.'

'No, ya don't! I thought I could come back here – find the way easily but when we did, you'd all gone. No trace, no message, nothing.'

'I was so angry with Carl that I couldn't look at him when I found out that it was his father all the time. But then I thought about it – how sly, how manipulative Rick was, how he had us all fooled while he was threatening his baby sister and messing with his head, I couldn't blame him. He was terrified for two years and none of us noticed it not even after you were gone.'

'Don't wanna talk no more. Do ya?' He whispered but he was already unbuttoning her blouse. She leaned back and let him.

'This OK?' He looked up at her from where his lips had been trailing her flat stomach with kisses.

She nodded and he grinned cheekily when she made it clear what she wanted by undoing his belt.

'Ya sure?' He looked up at her with mischief in his eyes. 'We can take it slow...'

'Don't want to take it slow.' She responded, tugging his pants off.

He always asked her even when she was thought she was making it pretty clear that she wanted it.

Another thing that Eric had never done and one more thing to love him for. His consideration. She hadn't expected that he would be like that from his rough exterior.

But he was going to do that just yet. She arched her back and let out a low moan when started to lick her cleft, teasing her for what seemed hours before he finally slipped his tongue inside. Swirling it around like he knew she liked.

This was the second to best part.

The best was their being reunited again, in every sense of the word.

Afterwards she held him, not the other way around like usual. She'd seen Merle do the same when he had night terrors and they didn't know she was watching. Even though he knew Daryl couldn't hear, he had whispered to him and stroked his hair and the tenderness in the way he touched him had changed her opinion of him. Until the accusations started, that was.

They were close and people had misinterpreted it for something else. Something forbidden. Most people had seen the side of him that didn't like touch but actually the opposite was true with those he loved. Trusted.

In fact, he was one who blossomed with affection.

'Ya know they thought Merle gave me those hickies, stupid assholes. As if- me and him, that's jus' plain sick.'

She chuckled at that but then grew serious. 'I thought I'd lost you but I didn't give up. Not for one second.' She kissed his hair.

He merely grunted but clutched her harder in reply before he fell asleep.

He was hers now.

He was finally safe.

They all were.