Carol woke the next morning to the sound of shouts in the main room. She quickly threw her blanket off her and ran down the cells to see a scene of chaos in front of her. Glenn was still wobbly on his feet but that hadn't stopped him from getting out of bed, making his way to the room and seeing Merle lying on the ground with a shabby blanket cast over him. When Glenn realised that he wasn't dreaming, he had grabbed the nearest chair and thrown it, one of the chair legs hitting Merle on his temple. Merle had proceeded to get up and run at Glenn before Rick had pulled him off the other man and Daryl had helped to separate them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?" Glenn shouted.

"Jus' calm down," Rick said. "Let me-"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Glenn screamed again.

Daryl was pushing Merle back by his chest whilst eying the two men who looked ready to pounce on each other and tear the other apart.

"Glenn! Let me explain!" Rick snapped.

Carol was watching the scene from the corner, ready to move if something happened. Maggie, closely followed by Hershel on his crutches (who both looked as though they had just woken up) and Carl and Beth who held Judith, burst through the gate and crossed over to the scene.

Maggie was quick to notice Merle being restrained by Daryl. "What the hell's he doin' here?" she asked, raising her gun.

"Can everyone jus' calm down and let me explain!" Rick shouted, finally losing all of his patience. Everyone in the room froze. "Okay. He-" pointing to Merle, "threatened to go back t' Woodbury and tell them about this prison. Do you really want that?"

Nobody spoke and Carol could feel the tension in the air. The tension only broken by Glenn muttering "bastard" and hobbling back to his cell with the support of Maggie who threw a dirty look over her shoulder towards Merle. Hershel hobbled after them and Carl and Beth, who was holding Judith, backed out as quietly as they had come in. Merle was standing there, blood dripping from his temple, letting himself relax.

"I told ya, ya wouldn' be welcome here," Daryl muttered.

"Relax, Darylena," Merle said, patting his brother on the shoulder. "Everyone will warm up to me eventually." He smirked.

Daryl sighed and looked as though he was worn out from fighting all the time. Carol was about to step forward when Rick interrupted.

"Daryl, go and check on the other group in the other cell block. See what they're doin'. Tell them Tyreese and Sasha can sort out whoever's keeping watch today. I'll head over in a minute."

He nodded and left the room. Rick looked over at Carol for the first time and Merle followed his gaze.

"Oh hey! Nice o' ya to drop in! You gonna clean this up for me?" he asked, pointing to his temple. Carol's stomach twisted remembering yesterday. "No stitchin' this time."

Rick left the room to go to the guard tower and that left her alone with Merle. She nodded and started to bathe the wound. Despite being nearly blinded in one eye, Glenn was a good aim. Carol smirked.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

She paused then she shrugged. "It caught you right on your temple. Surprised it didn't knock you unconscious."

Merle laughed. "We're livin' in a zombie apocalypse, woman! Nobody got time for bein' unconscious!"

Carol nodded and considered what he said when his next question caught her by surprise.

"So what's goin' on between you an' my baby brother?"

She stared at him.

"I mean, no offence, but you're not usually the type for us rednecks," he laughed. "An' I woulda thought you wanted somethin' different to a wife beater!"

"Are you..." Carol stood back and looked at him. "Are you suggesting Daryl hits women?"

Merle snorted. "Nice catchin' on!"

"Daryl has never hit anyone in this camp. Ever." She stressed the last word.

He frowned. "What... you mean t' tell me that he ain't-"

"No."

Merle raised his eyebrows in surprise. "He's always been the sweet one. Shoulda known." Then he looked at her again. "And ya never answered me. What's goin' on between the two o' ya?"

There was no escaping the question this time and her heart was telling her to say something but her brain took full control. "Nothin'. Nothin's going on," she said.

Merle nodded and felt his forehead. He looked up at her then back down at his feet. "Thanks," he said quietly. "An' I always thought that husband o' yours was a bit of a bastard."

Carol knew it wasn't much but she'd take it. A thanks off Merle Dixon? That would go down in history.

...

Daryl was walking back to the cell block feeling more tired than usual. Merle's return had been hectic and- the thought crept into his mind out of nowhere- he thought about how much more peaceful it would have been if he hadn't come back. But Merle's words still hung over him. "Ain't nothin' thicker than blood". He sighed again and pushed open the door to the cell block. Merle was sat inside looking at Carl and Beth who were holding Judith and feeding her on the other side of the room, keeping their distance. As much as he wanted to, Daryl couldn't just go and hold Judith in front of his brother. What would he think? More to the point, why did Daryl care? He didn't know the answer to the question so he sat down across from Merle.

"What's 'er name?"

Daryl looked at his older brother. "Whose?"

"The woman who was patchin' me up before."

"Carol."

Merle nodded. "Says you never hit anyone!"

"That's cause I haven't."

"Not anyone in this camp, here?"

"No."

"So what about her then?" Merle asked.

"Who?" Daryl asked, seeing a question about his and Carol's relationship on the horizon.

"Don't play dumb with me, brother," Merle snapped, looking at him. "Carol. The woman who says there ain't nothin' goin' on between the two of ya."

For some reason, Daryl felt a little... What was the word? Upset? Like he'd just been punched in the gut. He found the words to say, "That's cause there ain't."

Merle snorted. "Jesus! Anyone can see it except the two o' ya!" Daryl noted that he felt a little better. "So what the hell are ya gonna do about it?"

"Nothin'." Daryl felt quite sheepish talking about this to his brother.

"Christ's sake," Merle said, getting to his feet and crossing to his makeshift bed.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

...

That night, Carol was staring at the bunk above her. The days had started to get quite long and boring so she would take any opportunity she could to go on a supply run or go on a walk around the grounds. Not everyone was happy with that. She would often see Daryl from the cell block looking over her as she walked aimlessly around the field. There was never any danger so she wondered what he was actually doing. She was just about to drift off when she heard someone at the door to her cell.

"You okay?"

It was Daryl.

"I'm fine," she replied. Silence. "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and looking at him. There were bags under his eyes that were becoming a permanent addition to his face.

"Nothin', I was jus'... Jus' checkin' on ya."

He didn't move so she crossed her legs and leant forward, beckoning him to sit down. She saw him hesitate but he finally moved, pulling the gate across behind him and sitting on the bed. He pulled his boots off and leant back against the wall.

Carol leant against the wall sitting up straight next to him so their arms brushed and so she looked down over him. She'd missed this. "You can sleep, y'know? You can't keep awake and running forever, you need rest."

He glanced at her sideways and then his head dropped and fell on her shoulder. Carol was stunned at first but then they both relaxed. Daryl's cheek was pressed against her shoulder and, without causing too much movement, she propped a pillow up against her back and pulled her blanket over them and rested her head on top of his. Within minutes, Daryl's breathing slowed and his eyes fell closed.