"Hey, Ladybug." Merle stood in the doorway of the infirmary where Amanda still lay on her side on the table with her back to the wall. Hershel sat in a chair against the wall where he was dozing lightly, waking up to Dixon's raspy voice.

Staring at some invisible spot on the wall, Amanda didn't meet her father's worried and somewhat guilty gaze. "What do you want?"

Hershel pulled himself up with his crutches and cleared his throat. "You're doing fine, Amanda, but take it easy until you get your strength back. I think I'll head on back to the cell block while you two talk."

"Thank you, Hershel," Amanda said. "Sorry, I'm not the best patient."

He chuckled and looked at her dad. 'I've had worse."

Dixon bit back a smart-ass comment and held the door open for the older man to pass, shutting it quietly behind him. The look he was getting from his daughter let him now loud and clear that she had no interest in talking to him. He was never going to get this fatherhood shit down right. The harder he tried the harder he fell yet Dixons didn't give up so he was gonna take another stab at it. He looked at his scuffed boots and shuffled them awkwardly. "Thought you might need someone to talk to."

"Not you. You talk with your fists," she replied sullenly.

Fuck. He couldn't deny that fact. It how he was raised…fists do the talkin'. He didn't know any other way. "About that, baby girl…"

"Daddy, I really don't want to talk about it," she said firmly and rolled over so her back was facing him.

Dixon sighed and leaned wearily against the door. "I know I didn't handle it right but ya needed to know."

"Why? I was a hell of a lot happier when I didn't know it and it doesn't change a damn thing." She swallowed hard, biting back tears. "You almost killed Caesar, Daddy."

Merle didn't say anything. He almost did. He probably would have too if Daryl and the others didn't stop him from throwing the man over the rail. He was sorry for causing his daughter more pain, he really was, but he wasn't sorry for beating the shit out of Martinez.

He rubbed his own painful jaw. The younger man got in a few good punches on his own. Dixon knew he would be hurting like shit in the morning, probably worse than Martinez. It was hell getting old. Maybe he oughtta make a better effort to learn to talk without his fists.

"He's still my friend, Daddy," Amanda mumbled, breaking the silence between them.

"After what he did?" Merle asked, incredulously. What the fuck could she be thinking?

."Caesar didn't do anything but hide the truth," she stated matter-of-factly. "He…he cares for me and wouldn't take me to the governor."

"Ya sure 'bout that, Ladybug?" He had trusted the man and know he wasn't sure about anything anymore.

Amanda sat up on the table and let her feet dangling over the side. She met her father's gaze for the first time since he entered the room. "Yes, I am, Daddy. 100%," she told him with complete confidence, fingering the gold cross nestled between her breasts.

Merle shook his head. "I don't know, Amanda, maybe you're right but he shoulda said something." He didn't want to think the worse of his 'friend' but Martinez should have told him what the Governor said. If he had known that little bit of information, he sure as hell wouldn't have waited so long to go after the sick motherfucker.

"Maybe, but that's in the past; we gotta move on. Did you kill…him…the governor?" she asked.

The tiny whisper of hope in her voice pierced his heart. He wanted to tell his daughter yes, that the evil bastard was dead but he couldn't, not with any real certainty. He so hated to admit failure especially now when the stakes were this high. But Merle Dixon had no other choice. He looked his daughter in the eyes and said, "Not sure…but I stabbed him real good." He held up his prosthesis, minus the bayonet. "We wanted to make sure you was okay so we came back." He walked over to the exam table and sat beside her. With an arm around her shoulders, he continued. "Going after him, baby girl. Tomorrow, I guess..." He fingered the chain at the back of her neck. Only one person in this whole fuckin' prison wore a gold chain like that...Damn it all to hell!

"Daddy…" Amanda warned, pulling it loose from his hand.

It took all the strength he had to bite his tongue and keep his mouth shut. Is that what it took to be a good father? To know when to shut up? That was going to be damn near impossible. With a sigh and a great deal of restraint, Merle Dixon kept his opinion on the gold chain, and the man it belonged to, to himself.

He kissed the side of his baby girl's head. "Like I was saying, we gotta make sure the Governor is dead or kill him if he ain't so as we can have a little peace." Father and daughter sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Amanda leaned against him with her head on his shoulder. He winced in pain, wondering if there was any part of his body that didn't hurt and if he would even be able to get out of bed in the morning to go after the bastard.

A low growl interrupted their moment. Merle raised an eyebrow when Amanda pulled away with a sheepish look on her face. "Guess I'm hungry," she said, rubbing her stomach.

With a groan, Merle slid off the table. "Then let's get movin' 'fore they eat all the breakfast. Besides, I gotta a surprise for ya, Ladybug…in the kitchen." He held out his hand for his daughter who took it with a grateful, yet barely-there smile.

"My own personal chef?" she asked hopefully, knowing that was wishful thinking.

He snorted. "I would if I could, baby girl. But no, ain't no chef. I got something better. Something that'll put a real smile on your face," he said confidently.

Amanda had her doubts about his claim. "I can't think of anything better than a chef right now." Her stomach seconded that sentiment with an even louder growl.

"C'mon," he said, genuinely excited. "Follow me."

Martinez handed down the supplies from the back of the old pick-up to Oscar without a word. The big man looked like he wanted to say something but he kept his mouth shut and they made quick work of the task. Caesar's body ached from Dixon's punches but other than his nose, he didn't think that anything else was broken.

He didn't know if he had a place at the prison anymore. He hadn't spoken with Amanda since she asked told him she needed to be alone. And Merle Dixon wanted him dead. Damn near killed him. He involuntarily shuddered remembering how close he came from going over the second-floor railing.

"Hey, Martinez," Grimes called, approaching the truck purposely, with a coil of wire over his shoulder.

Aw fuck, he sure as hell didn't want to talk to the ex-lawman. Caesar met his gaze with the best "neutral" glare he could manage considering one eye was swollen shut.

"You about done here?" Rick asked, even though it was obvious that the last of the supplies were being carried into the prison by Oscar and Glenn.

Caesar nodded and jumped down from the bed of the old Ford. "What's up?" he asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Rick shaded his eyes from the morning sun. "I need you to help me repair the fence where those two from Woodbury came in."

Bullshit, he thought. Martinez was usually the last person Grimes ever asked for anything. He wanted more than that; this was probably the part were Grimes told him to pack his things and go but Martinez kept his thoughts to himself and followed the taller man out to the fence.

Rick quickly found the spot where the man named Tyreese tore out the patch with a hammer. Grimes had walked the fence so many times he knew where every patch was by heart. He began to weave the heavy duty wire through the chain links deftly. The rattling of the fence caught the attention of several walkers that were easily dispatched by Martinez. As Rick completed the task, Caesar wiped his knife clean on the damp grass and sheathed it.

"We need to talk," Rick said, slinging the coil wire back over his shoulder when the job was done.

"So talk," Martinez replied, crossing his arms over his chest, struggling to hold back a grimace as his bruised ribs protested the movement.

"Why did Dixon try to kill you?" he asked without preamble.

"Ask him yourself," he replied. Grimes wasn't going to learn about the Governor being the father of Amanda's baby from him. He didn't think Dixon would tell him either.

"Martinez, I need to know if I can still trust you." Rick wanted to trust the man but Martinez wasn't doing anything to help him out.

Caesar shook his head and met the man's unwavering gaze with one of his own. "Did you ever?"

"No, not entirely," Rick admitted. "But Dixon did and now he doesn't and I want to know why."

Caesar shrugged. "Nothing's changed."

"I'm having trouble believing that." After what happen with Dixon this morning there was a hell of a lot being left unsaid.

"Believe what you want." Martinez countered. "All you need to know is that I won't let any harm come to Amanda and if you want to know whose side I'm on, it's hers," he said as he turned his back on the former sheriff and walked away.

Amanda looked dubiously in the tattered box her daddy handed her. It contained six of the ugliest, scraggliest, and downright mean kittens she had ever seen. As soon as they spied her face above them, the hissing and spitting commenced. She looked up at Merle.

He was grinning and looking a little sheepish at the same time. "Remember when ya brought those possums home and thought they was kittens? And I made Daryl…" He glanced nervously at his younger brother.

"…take 'em to the shelter." Daryl finished the sentence for him, with a disgusted shake of his head. He had already decided that if Amanda didn't like her daddy's surprise, he wasn't going to let her know that he was the one Merle made crawl in the dumpster and rescue them. All fuckin' six of the little monsters. Merle claimed his lack of a hand prevented him from performing the task himself and that he was also afraid of accidentally making kitty kabobs with his knife attachment.

"Yeah, well, baby girl, I always felt bad about that so I got ya some real kitties to keep," he smiled indulgently.

"You got 'em?" Daryl snorted and his older brother shot him a warning look.

"It was my idea," he snapped back.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" Amanda interrupted. She was unwilling to stick her hand within striking range of the vicious beasts.

"Well, Ladybug," Merle told her like she was a child, "Ya pet 'em," and he reached in the box to pull out an orange spitter. A black one latched on to his calloused thumb with tiny needle-sharp teeth and Merle gently knocked it back in with his unarmed prosthesis. "All they need is a little lovin' and some food," he said, handing the little tabby to Amanda who took it gingerly by the scruff of its scrawny neck. It never stopped growling as it tried unsuccessfully to claw her.

Merle stretched across the table to remove the half-eaten bowl of mush that sat in front his brother.

"Hey!" Daryl protested, reaching for it only to receive a sharp smack on the hand from Merle's right arm. "Shit, Merle! That hurt!"

Beth slid her bowl to Daryl, "Eat mine, baby. I'm full."

"It was supposed to hurt, ya big baby. Anyway, that's your third fuckin' bowl. Leave somethin' for the kittens," he said as he carefully placed the bowl in the middle of the hissing mass. Suddenly there was silence, sort of. The hissing was replaced by growling and slurping as the half-starved animals devoured the food.

Amanda dropped the one she was holding into to the box so it could get a fair share. In minutes the food was gone and the kittens set to howling for more.

"You have got to be fuckin' kiddin' me," Daryl groaned. "More mouths to feed."

Beth patted his knee and said to him quietly, "I think it's a sweet gesture. I'm sure he went out of his way to catch them. It couldn't have been easy."

Carol handed her bowl to the older Dixon and he put it in the box, silencing the howls. "I think it's a great idea," she said. "They can keep the rats out of the pantry. Good thinking, Merle. Thanks for rescuing them."

Daryl sputtered and started to set the record straight when a loud squeal split the air as Judith ran into the room on wobbly legs. Carl was right behind her with an unhappy look on his face. "I need a break, somebody, please," he whined, looking hopefully at everyone in turn. Not one person would meet his pleading eyes.

Judith squealed again and ran for the box that sat on the floor. "No!" Amanda said reaching for the tumbling out-of-control toddler but she wasn't fast enough and the little girl fell, knocking the cardboard box and kittens across the floor.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed. Six tiny blurs screeched and disappeared into the shadows before anyone could blink. For a moment, they thought the little princess might burst into tears but she had caught a glimpse of the fleeing creatures and undaunted, the youngest Grimes went after them, followed unwillingly by her complaining older brother.

"Judith!" Carl pleaded, chasing after her. "Get back here!"

Daryl sat back in his chair, disgusted. Shit! All that fuckin' work for nothin'. "Think we'll ever see 'em again?" he asked.

"I 'spose they'll show up as soon as they get hungry," Merle said, nonchalantly, spooning a big helping of oatmeal into a bowl and handing it to Amanda. "Eat up, baby girl."

Merle filled another bowl and slid it to Rowan who sat down in the seat beside him. She had put in the forest green sweater he found for her. He leaned back to get a better look. It was a little big but hopefully she would still be able to wear it when her stomach grew larger. "I always thought ya looked beautiful in green," he said softly, brushing her hair back over her shoulder to kiss her cheek.

She had been a little standoffish, almost nervous around him since his blow up with Caesar earlier and he was trying very hard to be a calm-and-in-control-Merle. It was killing him to think that she was afraid of him. He knew he had frightened her and he never wanted to see that look on her face again…the same look his own momma got when his daddy lost control.

His right arm stretched across the back of her chair and he wished the fuck he had still had his right hand so he could touch her with a comforting, reassuring touch to let her know that he loved her and he would never raise a hand to her or their child.

"Merle?" Rowan's soft voice pulled him out of his head and his clear blue eyes met her gentle brown ones. "Are you okay?" Her head was tilted slightly to the side and concern etched a line across her smooth forehead.

She was worrying about him…fucking worried about a worthless piece of shit like Merle Dixon…he didn't deserve her and he knew it. But…he wasn't man enough to let her go to someone who did, so he was going to have to just try harder to be the man she needed for both of their sakes. He turned slightly so he could reach her hand with his left one and he gave it a squeeze. "I'm fine, darlin'. Just a little tired."

That seemed to ease her mind and she rewarded him with a smile. The worry line softened and she turned to her food after squeezing his hand back. Merle relaxed a little and finished his own food without his usual complaints. He'd let his baby brother fill Officer Rick in on the situation they ran into. He was gonna try to talk Rowan into taking a nap with him, then after that, he hoped he could talk her into something more.

"Dad! I don't see why I have to watch her. Why can't Carol? Or Beth? Or Maggie! She never does it. Maggie should have to take a turn," Carl complained fervently. He had to make his dad understand. He should be guarding the prisoners or on watch….anything but babysitting! "Watching the brat, er baby is women's work," He grumbled shifting the struggling child in question in his aching arms. She was getting heavy. Judith grabbed his hat and threw it on the ground with a happy shriek.

"Judith!" he groaned, trying to pick up his hat without dropping her. He knew, from experience, that if he put her down for even a second she would bolt.

"Son," Rick raised his voice to be heard over his daughter's shrill giggles as she slapped at her unhappy brother's face. "There is no men or women's work here and I suggest you think before you run your mouth again. If something needs to be done, you do it and don't complain. We're all doing what we can."

"But Dad…" he began again even more earnestly than before.

"Carl! I don't have time for this!" he said a little more sharply than he intended to but he had more important matters to attend to and his son could damn well watch Judith and keep her out of trouble for a little while longer.

"Rick!" Daryl called out as he jogged to reach him. "Hey Carl, Ass-kicker," he greeted the kids, ruffling the sparse dark hair on Judith's head. She bounced in Carl's arms and reached for Daryl who took her gladly and tossed her up in the air.

"Wheeeeeee!" she giggled as she flew a few feet above Dixon's head.

Rick's heart almost stopped when gravity kicked in and he watched his only daughter plummet toward the earth but the redneck easily caught her…mere inches from the ground.

"I missed ya, Lil Ass-kicker!" Daryl said with a grin as he propped the laughing little one comfortably on his hip.

"More!" she begged throwing her arms in the air. "Wheeeee!"

"That's enough, Judith," her father quickly intervened. He wasn't sure his heart could take that again. "What's up, Daryl?"

"Ya need to know what we saw out there," the younger Dixon brother informed him.

About damn time, Rick thought. They had only been back a few hours but they returned in a different vehicle, with a prisoner, and a homicidal Merle Dixon. There had to be a hell of a story behind that.

Caesar wiped the sweat from his face with a bandana before entering the prison. He knew he should have been here sooner for breakfast but he needed to get his head together before facing the group. The site that greeted him in the dining area was not quite what he expected to see.

"Amanda?"

"Shit!" she said as her head hit the underside of the table. "Caesar! Good, you can help me."

"What are you…?"

"Hurry, Caesar! Before it gets away…" Another bump and "Shit! Little bastard bit me Damn it!"

He jumped out of the way as an unidentifiable blur bolted past him. "What the hell was that?"

"Kitten."

"Bullshit," he laughed with disbelief, "Looked more like a rat or…hell, Amanda, I don't know what it looked like but a kitten wouldn't have been my first guess."

"It was a kitten…a present from Daddy," she said, crawling out from under the table. "And I have been trying to catch it for the last fifteen minutes."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously!" she retorted with great frustration.

He smiled at her even though it hurt to do so. Not one part of his body didn't ache from the fight with Dixon except maybe his feet. Martinez held out his hand to help her up.

Amanda hesitated a moment. She wanted to trust him. She really did. Caesar's dark brown eyes met her bright blue ones…almost daring her to take his hand. They were filled with regret but no deception or malice. She put her hand in his and he closed his strong fingers and pulled her to her feet.

She removed her hand and wiped it on her shorts. "Sorry," she said, "It was kind of dirty under there. Guess it was looking for more food." There was no shortage of crumbs on the floor due to Judith's exuberant eating style.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and said, "So you're telling me your dad brought you a kitten?"

"Kittens," she corrected him, stressing the "s". "Six of them…I think. Judith knocked the box over and they all ran away."

"Sorry?" He wasn't sure by her tone if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Thank you?" Amanda laughed. "I'm not sure how I feel about their great escape. To say that they were feral would be an understatement."

"Are we okay?" Caesar asked.

"I don't know yet." she said sadly.

"Fair enough," he answered. It was more than he expected and he would take whatever she was willing to give, Merle Dixon be damned.

She smiled and self-consciously pushed her messy hair behind her eyes. "I need to..."

"Yeah, I was just coming to see if there was anything left to eat," he said taking a step back so she could pass.

"Um…okay then…" she said awkwardly and hurried out of the cell block.

What the fu-? Daryl said looking around, realizing the entire male side of the Grimes family had left, leaving him with the slobbering, yet incredibly cute Princess Grimes. With a wide yawn and a few unintelligible babbles, the toddler rested her head on his chest and started sucking her thumb.

"They did this on purpose," he grumbled to himself. "Shit. What the hell am I 'spose to do with ya?"

"Shit," she muttered sleepily.

He put a big, calloused hand on the back of her head, "Shhh little darlin'," he said softly, "enough cussin'." He headed slowly toward the prison hoping to find someone to hand her off to. He had things to do and babysitting wasn't one of them.

"Hey Daryl," Glenn called from behind, after just being relieved from duty by Rick. "Wait up!"

Wait up? Even a fucking turtle could pass him up. Daryl clenched his teeth as the Korean's unusually loud footsteps came nearer. "Hey man, I need to ask you if you found some…."

Daryl turned slowly and hissed, "Shut the fuck up, Glenn, can't ya see she's asleep?"

Glenn stopped his tracks, eyes wide when he saw the napping Judith in the rough redneck's arms. "Sorry, I…"

"Shhhhh!" Daryl warned angrily as Judith shifted with a soft cry against him. Both men stood frozen until she settled back into slumber.

Glenn carefully eased around Daryl and mouthed, "I'll catch you later," and hurried along to the prison.

Dumbass. The younger Dixon continued his arduous path to the prison hoping to get the napping child to her crib without anymore incidents.

Beth looked up from cleaning the table just in time to see Daryl ease by with the baby. How on earth did he end up with her…and asleep, at that? She wondered. Lately Judith had been notoriously hard to get down for a nap but she was sound asleep, cradled in his arms. Beth wiped her hands on the towel and left it behind to follow Daryl to the nursery. She stood in the doorway and watched while he gently lowered the sleeping toddler to the crib.

"That's a good Lil Ass-Kicker," he cooed as he covered her with a blanket then leaned down to kiss her lightly on the forehead. He turned to leave and ran right into Beth. "Fuck, girl!" Daryl yelped when he caught Beth watching him. Judith whined, yawned and stuck her thumb back in her mouth and sucked it loudly as she fell back asleep.

"Don't ya know it's dangerous to sneak up on me?" he asked quietly, roughly grabbing her by the waist and pulling her out of the room to cover her mouth with his. Her slender arms went around his neck and Daryl buried his face in her hair inhaling her sweet scent. He missed her so damn much, never actually comprehending the depth of his feelings until that moment in the farmhouse when he thought they just might not make it back alive. Someone one up above was looking out for his sorry ass and he couldn't imagine why but he was damn thankful.

"You're good with her," his blonde angel said, looking up at him with that sweet, sexy smile and wide blue eyes. Her hips moved into his.

Holy shit! "Ya better not be thinking what I think you're thinkin'," he growled.

"All I ever wanted to be was a mother," she said, rising up to nip his ear with her teeth while her hands squeezed his ass.

"No way, darlin'. Not now. There's gonna be enough babies around here soon. You'll have plenty to play with," he told her emphatically.

"Don't you want one of your own, our own?" she asked, tracing the shell of his ear with her tongue.

Fuck. He was gonna have to be careful that he didn't end up a daddy himself from lack of willpower. Ain't no way he could resist her wiles if she really had her mind set on getting pregnant.

"Ain't gonna happen, Angel." Dixons weren't cut out to be fathers. Their abysmal upbringing didn't prepare them for parenting. All he had to do was look at Merle. No matter how hard his brother tried to do right, he always managed to somehow fuck up when it came to being a daddy.

Beth pouted then ran a finger across the exposed skin on his chest and hooked it around the top button of his shirt. "Well, did you find any condoms?"

"Hell yeah, I did," he replied, already feeling the tightening in his groin from her touch. "But don't tell no one 'cause we ain't sharing!"

"Come with me, sugar," she drawled softly, tugging on his shirt, "and let me show you how much I missed you."

This update was a little later than usual but all of my kids are out of school now and I have veggie garden that is begging for attention...so, over the summer I'm will have less time to write therefore the updates will be less frequent but I love writing this story and plan to see it to the end as long as I still have readers/reviewers.

Thank you for be patient and for sticking with me this far...your words keep my words flowing so please drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Thanks to Siarh for being a thoughtful and patient editor.

Happy reading!