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Chapter 4: Partners

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While Danielle was thinking of her fragile but growing trust in the man, Merle was focusing on saving her. He left her for a moment to rummage around in the RV's cupboards. It took only a minute for him to find a pair of tweezers, along with a sewing kit, a bottle of whiskey, and one of Dale's clean shirts. He crouched down next to her and she turned her eyes to him, dark brown irises meeting pale blue.

"Hey, Dixon," Danielle murmured, smiling softly. "You ever done this before?"

"A few times," Merle grunted, carefully untying the make-shift shift bandage from around her torso. Danielle winced, closing her eyes tightly for a moment, before opening them again to look over at him once it was off. "I was a Marine for a few years."

"I could see that," Danielle laughed weakly, wincing as she glanced down at her side. The skin was a sickly pale color but the bullet hole was red, covered in blood, some dried and some wet. "Merle Dixon, proud Marine. I bet you looked good in the uniform."

"Ya bet yer hat I did," Merle snorted, knowing she was trying to distract herself. They both knew how much this would hurt. Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, he screwed it open and looked at Danielle. She met his eyes evenly, giving him a smile. "Sorry, sugar, but this is gonna hurt."

"I know," she agreed, her fingers reaching out and grasping on to the bedsheets around her. "Go ahead."

Merle poured the whiskey on the wound, grimacing as he watched Danielle's reaction. She ground her teeth together, squeezing her eyes shut, and her grip on the sheets tightened until her knuckles were a bright white. But she didn't scream, didn't make a noise other than the sound of her jaw locking and teeth grinding. Merle was reluctantly impressed. The woman was stronger than she looked, as small as she was.

"Next part, please," Danielle spoke, her voice slightly strained. "Let's just get this over with."

"Alright, sweetheart. Just try not to hit me, alright?" Merle asked, picking up the tweezers and leaning over her.

Danielle nodded, keeping her tight grip on the sheets, as he pressed the tweezers down into the wound. She locked her jaw, feeling pain rip through her side as he dug around for the bullet. It was painful but she'd experienced worse. Danielle felt her throat tighten, wanting to scream, but she forcefully shoved it down. She wasn't going to scream, not this time.

Luckily, he found the bullet relatively quick and pulled it out, dropping it and the tweezers down on the bed next to her. He grabbed the sewing kit, pulling out some thread and a needle. Not wasting any time, he started sewing the wound up. The first thread made her feet twitch but Danielle didn't make a sound, other than a grunt, as he quickly but carefully sewed her wound shut and tied it off.

Once he had tied it off, Danielle slumped, her body trembling, as she inhaled and exhaled shakily. She didn't know how much longer she could have gone without making a sound.

He used Dale's shirt as a bandage, wrapping it around her torso and tying it carefully over the wound. Danielle looked down, raising her eyebrows at the comical Hawaiian pattern of the shirt.

"What the heck? At least it's not a shirt any of us are going to wear," she commented, scrunching up her nose in distaste.

"End of the world, sugar, ya'd be surprised," Merle chuckled, shaking his head.

"Screw the end of the world," Danielle snorted. "I'd go starkers before I wear something like that."

"I'd pay money to see that, sugar," he smirked at her.

"I bet you would," she laughed, looking up at him, a hint of mischief lurking in her brown eyes. "Too bad I don't have any use for money these days."

"Ain't that the truth," Merle snorted, shaking his head. "Bout as useful as tits on a bull."

A short bark of laughter left Danielle's throat, surprising the Dixon. She smiled up at him, thinking the saying was odd but funny. It was accurate enough. Money had no use in the apocalypse. Weapons, medical supplies, and food had more value than anything else.

"That's not a saying I've heard before but it's true," she commented. "I guess you could use it to start a fire, if nothing else. Anyway, thank you Merle, for fixing me up."

"Yer welcome, sweetheart," he replied, patting her hand absently. "Just protecting my partner is all."

"Partner huh?" Danielle cocked her head to the side, considering. Her lips slowly curled up into a smirk. "Alright, I think I can live with that."

"Not tryin' to fight me no more?" Merle asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Ya were so against us workin' together. What changed yer mind?"

"I was against it because I didn't trust you," she said simply, purposefully using the past tense. She waited, watching as he caught it. The crease in his forehead smoothed out as he looked down at her thoughtfully, studying her. Her smirk softened into a small smile. "Don't make me regret it, Dixon."

Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the door to the RV swung open and someone stomped inside. Her instincts kicked in and she bolted upright, hissing at the pain in her side, scooting back on the cot until her back hit the window. Merle stood in front of her, his massive bulk blocking her slight frame, his fists clenched. He relaxed, however, as he saw who it was.

Danielle blinked in surprise, watching as the unknown man and Merle hugged tightly, patting each other on the back in a brotherly fashion. She figured that must have been his younger brother who he'd been looking for. They pulled back after a short, whispered conversation, turning towards her.

"Sugar, this is Daryl, my little brother. Daryl, this is Dani, the gal that got me off that rooftop," Merle grinned broadly, clasping a thick arm around his brother's shoulders.

The first thing that Danielle noticed about Daryl was that he had the same blue eyes as Merle. He looked down at her silently with an unreadable expression, lifting one of his hands to chew on his thumbnail while the other grasped the strap of his crossbow. Her eyes lingered on the weapon for a moment, noting that it looked heavy, before she met his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Daryl," she smiled, nodding politely. A thought came to her and she smirked, hoping it would break the ice. "Gotta say, you don't look much like your brother here."

It worked. The quiet tension disappeared as Daryl snorted, amused, and Merle smirked.

"Lucky for ya, ya got the good-lookin' one of the two," Merle winked at her, clapping his brother on his shoulder before releasing him.

"I didn't say that now," Danielle smirked, amused, as he frowned down at her and Daryl chuckled, a low rasping sound.

"She got ya there, Merle."

Merle's frown deepened, displeased, before he leaned down and flicked her in the forehead. Eyes widening, Danielle yelped in surprise and leaned back, rubbing at her forehead with one hand.

"The heck was that for, Dixon?"

"Flirtin' with my little brother, sugar. Yer not his type," he scoffed, scowling.

"Oh please, you call that flirting? That's nothing. Also, I'm everybody's type, honeybunches," Danielle snapped back, rolling her brown eyes. She paused, noticing that the redneck was starting to rub off on her. She picked up some of his habits, like pet names. "If I was really flirting with somebody, you'd know it."

"Uh huh, whatever ya say, sugar," Merle rolled his eyes, still irritated. "Ya feelin' better now?"

"Yep, thanks to good old nurse Dixon," Danielle answered, winking at him. Pushing herself up off the cot, she winced, feeling her side burn painfully, but rested a hand against it gingerly, pushing away the pain. She saw the worried glint in Merle's eye and brushed it off, smiling. "I'm fine, Dixon. Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix."

"Yer as stubborn as a bull," he complained, frowning. "Yer gonna kill yerself, walkin' around like that."

"I'll be fine, old man," she rolled her eyes with a smirk, leaving the RV with one hand gingerly cradling her side. Merle and Daryl ambled out after her, the older man still frowning at her recklessness. Once she was out, she leaned against the side of the RV, looking around wearily. The group was bigger than she'd thought, four men and two women.

Out of the four men, three of them were young, around her age, while the last was an elderly man. Danielle couldn't help wrinkling her nose, seeing the elderly man wearing a different version of the Hawaiian monstrosity currently tied around her wound.

Ew. I thought with the end of the world, people would stop wearing those darn things.

Her attention shifted to the two women, analyzing them. There was a blonde who seemed shaken by something and a grey-haired older woman. The grey-haired woman was on her knees on the paved road, her arms wrapped tightly around Sophia, seeming disinclined to let her go ever again. Sophia seemed to be of a similar mindset, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around her mother's shoulders as she buried her face in her neck.

Danielle softened, seeing the two, her heart aching at the sight.

Will Dad's reaction be like that when I see him again?

Shaking it off, she looked to the elderly man as he came over to her. His eyes drifted to Daryl and Merle behind her, lingering wearily on Merle for a moment, before shifting back to her.

"I'm Dale," he introduced himself politely, offering his hand. His smile was kind, she noticed, willing to bet anything she had that he had been a grandfather before all this.

"Dani," she replied, shaking his hand firmly with her free hand before letting it go. "You're the group that left Merle behind in Atlanta?" It was a rhetorical question. She already knew this was the same group, having seen how Merle scowled and glared when he saw them. At the time, he'd been too preoccupied with getting her wound taken care of to explain but she had figured it out.

Hearing her question, Dale faltered, nervously wringing his hat in his hands. He tried his best to explain, even as she eyed him. "Well you see… That was an unfortunate accident."

Danielle raised her eyebrows, distinctly unimpressed with that excuse. It was flimsy at best. "That was no accident. You don't just handcuff someone to a pipe and leave them on the roof of a walker infested city by accident."

"It was a mistake," Dale admitted readily with a sigh. "We went back for him but he was gone."

"If I hadn't gotten him off that roof, he would have died of heatstroke. Not to mention, that chain holding back the walkers was coming loose," she shook her head, instantly shutting down his feeble defense. "Gotta say, not a glowing recommendation of your group so far."

Dale frowned disapprovingly, opening his mouth to retort, but he was cut off by the grey-haired woman, who had wandered over to them. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around Sophia, who was still clinging to her waist as she walked close to her mother.

"Are you Dani?" she asked, speaking directly to Danielle.

Shifting nervously, wondering what she was going to say, Danielle nodded, eyeing her. She was expecting a rant, an attack, something aggressive. What she didn't expect was for the older woman to let go of Sophia and launch herself at her. Danielle let out an embarrassing squeak, utterly dumbfounded, as the woman's arms wrapped around her shoulders tightly, an affectionate gesture that made her freeze. Her dark brown eyes wide, she glanced over her shoulder at Merle for help, wondering what to do.

The older Dixon was snorting like a bull, laughing at the helpless look on her face. Daryl wasn't much better, smirking as his blue eyes twinkled with amusement at her situation.

Danielle reached up with her free hand and patted her back awkwardly, still not knowing what the heck she was supposed to do in that situation. Luckily, the older woman pulled back and stepped a safe distance away, making her sigh in relief.

"I'm Carol, Sophia's mother," Carol smiled at her, wiping her teary eyes. "Thank you so much for keeping my baby safe and bringing her back to me." She was genuinely grateful, her blue eyes shining with gratitude.

"You're welcome, ma'am. I'm Dani," Danielle decided to introduce herself, giving the older woman a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you, Dani," Carol nodded back, beaming as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. Danielle knew it would be a while before the mother was confident enough to let her daughter out of her sight again. It was understandable really. "Nice to see you again, Merle."

"You too, mouse," Merle returned with a nod, his expression shifting into a scowl as the dark-skinned man wandered over. Danielle noticed the bloody shirt wrapped around his forearm and hoped it wasn't a bite. "Well if it isn't the idiot that left me on that roof."

"I dropped the key man, I really am sorry," the man replied, giving him an apologetic look. He looked at Danielle, curious. "And who are you?"

Before Danielle could introduce herself, Merle strode forward, planting himself at her side, and slung a heavy arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side. She didn't bother to protest, merely rolling her eyes as she leaned into him, appreciating the support since her side was aching.

"This is Dani, the little Angel that got me off that rooftop," Merle grinned proudly, squeezing her shoulders as he let her lean into him. "Gal's an angel in disguise, I swear, only reason I'm livin'. Sugar, this is T-Dog."

"You make me sound like some kinda savior," Danielle snorted, shaking her head. "Wouldn't have gotten out of Atlanta if it wasn't for Merle."

"Aw Sugar, yer too kind," he leered down at her, arm tightening around her shoulders. "Anyways, I just came back for my little brother."

Daryl hesitated, his expression torn as he glanced at his older brother, then over at Carol with Sophia. Realizing his dilemma, Danielle decided to help him out. She elbowed Merle lightly in the side, making him glare down at her.

"Change of plans, Merle. There's no rush and I don't feel right leaving them defenseless with a kid," she gestured to Sophia, who beamed up at her.

"We're not helpless," a voice protested her statement as the blonde woman she hadn't met yet stormed up to them. She glared at Danielle with bright blue eyes, furious. "We don't need you to stay. We've been doing just fine by ourselves."

"Oh really?" Danielle cocked her head, looking around the group. "You lost a kid on this highway when a herd swept through. That doesn't exactly count as 'just fine' to me. No offense but I think this should be discussed with the one in charge." Without giving the blonde another glance, she looked to Dale, addressing him directly. "Where's your leader?"

"Rick and Shane aren't here. Carl was shot," a man she had yet to get the name of answered her, moving to stand next to Carol. He was a young Asian guy. "We have two kids in the group, actually. Thanks for bringing Sophia back. I'm Glenn, by the way."

"You're welcome," Danielle nodded, giving him a smile. "Now what happened?"

"We were looking for Sophia and the group split up to cover more ground. Rick, Shane, and Carl, Rick's kid, went off to look more and we headed back here. There was a gunshot and we ran into a girl who told us Carl had been shot. She took Lori, Carl's mom, back to her family's farm, and told us to go there."

"Alright," Danielle nodded, absorbing the information. She didn't know these people but she knew it wasn't safe to stay at the highway for the night. It was too dangerous, knowing a herd had swept through. They could come back at any time. "I think we should go to that farm then. No use staying here for the night, too dangerous."

Everyone nodded in agreement, some reluctant but knowing she was right. The blonde woman glared at her before stomping past her into the RV, slamming the door shut behind her. Danielle stared after her for a moment before shaking her head and turning to look at T-Dog.

"That's not a bite, right?" she nodded down to his arm, wrapped in a bloody shirt.

"Nah, tore my arm up pretty bad on a car door," he answered, glancing down at it.

"Looks bad," Danielle agreed. "You should probably go lay down in the RV. We need to get moving if we want to make it to that farm before dark. Glenn, do you know the way?"

"Yeah," Glenn nodded. "I'll lead Dale in the RV."

"Alright, thanks," she looked up at Merle, raising her eyebrows. "Guess we're riding in the RV too?"

Nodding, Merle dragged her back into the RV while Daryl went off. She sat down at the table, sinking into the comfy booth, and he sat down next to her, thick arm still slung around her shoulders. The RV took off slowly, rumbling down the road as Dale followed Glenn's directions. There was a loud rumble and both glanced out of the window next to them.

"Oh, come on, that's my bike," Merle complained, seeing Daryl on his motorcycle, riding past them.

"That's hot," Danielle snickered, amused. "Gotta say, I wanna ride on that thing."

"Ya like bikes, sugar?"

"Yeah, always wanted to ride one but never got the chance," she laughed, smiling as she remembered her Dad's face when she asked if she could have a motorcycle. He had not been impressed in the slightest. "My Dad didn't like them. He thought I'd fall off."

Merle chuckled, probably imagining just her falling off the motorcycle.

"Ya know what? I'll let ya ride with me, sugar, that way ya won't fall off," the Dixon promised, grinning cockily. He winked at her. "It'll be a ride ya'll never forget."

"I'm sure," Danielle shook her head, smiling.