Please go easy on me with Merle, since I decided to take a bolder route for this, and if you're a fan of Merle, I would like to apologize for this chapter. Background info: Daryl has been thinking about this for a while, and he does what he does for the good of the group. Well that's a spoiler like no other.

If they hug in the show, I swear I'm going to be pissed. Daryl is not supposed to hug him back, dammit!

Also, in addressing a guest reviewer, I was going to do Glenn, but literally nothing came to mind. I wanted to do more guys, but it just did not fit their character. I tried to think of a situation, but couldn't. Would you rather have something forced or something that addressed a notable moment? That's just my opinion, but I hope you liked Rick's chapter! :)

4.

Merle was supposed to be dead. Well, not dead dead, like walker-bait dead. He hacked off his own hand, likely had trouble stopping the bleeding and even just getting out of Atlanta! Rick and Daryl and the others in the rescue team were surprised as hell to see he wasn't there. Merle was as good as dead. Daryl, naturally, was upset. Even though they didn't get along as well as they could have, they still were brothers and only were holding onto each other during these dark times.

But Merle was only holding Daryl back. Merle said not to trust the group, they it was really them who were holding back the brothers. It was almost like Carol and Ed's situation, where Merle was the one who told Daryl what to do.

That was not a decent comparison. Daryl was strong. Carol was not.

That's why he didn't bother looking for Merle. After Ed died, Carol broke from her shell and became a regular contributor to the group, and a joy to be around. Daryl didn't need people hating him based on how his brother acted. But they did, and no one said anything, but it took quite a while for both Daryl and the team to start thinking otherwise. It made a world of difference when he was the one who looked hardest for Sophia.

If Merle saw that, he would have spat in his brother's face and laughed.

"You're going soft on me! Dixon men ain't soft!" Along with every name under the sun.

Daryl tried his best to not let down the groups, but at the same time, managing to be reclusive to prevent hopes from rising, which is silly since he was the last to give up on the girl.

But as they made their way to the little town Michonne was talking about, he had no idea what to expect.

Flashbang here, here, and here. Shoot that guard there to redirect attention then climb over the wall by those trees there.

It was hardly a plan, but this was Glenn and Maggie we were talking about. No way they were being abandoned.

With a count, Rick signaled them to throw the flashbangs to their targets. With the guards blinded, they made their move. Faster than ever, Daryl loaded bolt after bolt into his crossbow as they made their way up and over the wall, hoping that the other side would be slow to respond.

No dice.

As soon as they landed, men hiding from under the platform rushed them. Out of flashblangs and at too close range, Daryl pulled out his gun. He barely had anytime to see how the others were doing, since people were closing in on all sides. Here they were this modpodge group of cops and robbers, one warrior princess and a hick, fighting out in the open of this little safe haven with men with larger artillery closing in on all sides. Still fighting hard, the little group found themselves pushed together when a flashbang from the other side deafened and blinded them. Daryl, disoriented, didn't want to risk the shooting of a team member, and held his fire. The last thing he remembers is being thrust to the ground with zip ties being fashioned around his wrists.

"Fancy-ass commune can't even find handcuffs. How'n the hell did they go and get taken?"

He awoke sometime later in a room tied to a chair with the other group members, minus Michonne, sitting in a horizontal line.

There was scuffling on the other side of the wall that sounded violent. Glenn shouted out in pain, not knowing who had come for them.

He didn't have to see him, or barely make out a word he said to know.

Merle was here.

The Glenn-voice shouted again from the other room through the paper thin walls after what sounded to be a kick into something hard. His back?

"You best not be lying, chink!" Merle shouted and the group dared not speak, but they knew too. Merle's heavy footsteps grew louder as he moved through the doorway and into the next room.

With a genuine smile and look of surprise, Merle swore loudly and rushed to Daryl.

"Little bro! You ain't dead!" Merle placed his hand and metal case next to Daryl's shoulders on the back of his chair.

"But why y'all tied up?" Feigning innocence, Merle looked to the other guards.

Rick thought it might be a good idea to say something, but since he was the one who handcuffed him, it was not the smartest idea. From what little he knew of him, Merle seemed the type of man that held one hell of a grudge, especially after what followed.

Daryl may not be some strategist, but he knew Merle was stupid as a post.

"You made it. I thought they were lying." He figured if feigning a double-cross on Rick led to his release, so be it. No matter what they're getting out alive.

"They said they told you." Merle looked down and raised his cased hand.

"They said you were dead."

"Can't trust cops, bro! They said you went back, while that bastard there left me for dead!"

"I had no idea. They told me jack. Man, why you gotta tie me up?" Rick caught on. He was smart, but didn't want to screw up whatever Daryl was planning. He was a hunter, he knew how to stalk.

"I got the chinaman and his bitch in there. Useless shits, the both of 'em. Wouldn't tell me nuthin bout where ya where."

"Why not?"

"Who gives a rat's ass?"

"Lemme go, do what you want but with them, but lemme see your hand." Before Merle made a move, he held up his mechanical hand. Well, the best mechanics one could get in a time like this.

"Y'like that, huh? They went and found me on the side of the road, not doin' so hot. Took me here 'n gave m'this." He moved to his back pocket to pull out a knife. Thankfully, the ex-prisoners knew how to keep their mouth shut, so they weren't asking stupid questions. Rick hoped he knew what Daryl was thinking. They've been travelling for too long, see and done too much with each other for his loyalties to switch so quickly, even if they were brothers.

Merle reached down and cut the ties off of Daryl's wrist and stood him up. With a remainder of a ring in his ears, Daryl wobbled slightly, but was steady as Merle crushed him in a hug.

It was one of those bone-crunching hugs you could return if you tried. Daryl's hands were pinned by his sides and his eyes bulged slightly.

"I missed ya, bro." Merle whispered, leaning down to rest his head on the shorter man's shoulder.

Daryl saw an opportunity he could not afford to waste. In the back of Merle's pants was the bulge of a switchblade. In one fluid motion, Daryl reached down, removed it, exposed the blade and bent his arm as best as he could to jab the knife into the little divot that can be found where the neck meets the skull.

Merle froze and fell slightly limp, not quite dead, but Daryl took this opportunity to twist around him to put the knife into the center of his skull.

Before the guard by the door could even react, Merle was dead on the ground and Daryl made his was to stab the eye of the armed man. After both were down, Daryl used the knife to cut the ties on the other men, who all were not expecting that result.

"Let's go get us Glenn 'n Maggie 'n get the hell outta here." Daryl was not fazed.

Not disappointed with the result, the men rushed out to the next room. Daryl trailed last, taking one last look into his brother's surprised last expression and not regretting anything.

That was longer than expected but I am very pleased with the result! Sorry my descriptions weren't as deep as they could have been, I'm not the type of person that writes how something is described in useless and boring detail.

Also, yes they are brothers, but Daryl has grown, and I feel this is a summary of how far he has come as a person.