Disclaimer: I still just own Taylor.
Sigh.
I am hoping to one day become rich enough to own Rick & Daryl. ;)

CHAPTER THREE.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

The van slowly crawled along the side of the beaten railroad tracks leading to the city. The fence stuck out like a sore thumb and was just another reminder of what the world had come to; keeping the alive out and the dead in. They might as well have been entering a prison with unlocked cell doors.

"Better be okay. That's my only word on the matter," Daryl locked eyes with T-Dog. They were still glossy from the thought of potentially finding his brother dead.

"I told you the geeks can't get at 'em. Only thing that's gonna get through that door is us," he watched Daryl cautiously with hawk eyes. The last thing they needed was a confrontation now… or ever rather.

Rick cut the engine and glanced over his shoulder before swiping the keys out and into his pocket.

"We should walk from here," Glenn commented aloud as he scooted toward the front. The five took turns exiting the Ferenc truck all the while keeping an eye out for any stray walkers. They jogged up to the fence and inhaled sharply. Suddenly the whole plan was not seeming like such an easy task anymore, and it was too late to go back. The foul smell of corrosion and death was smacking them in the face relentlessly. Taylor tried her best to breathe through her mouth since the overwhelming odor was already making her gag, and they weren't even inside yet. She stuck by Rick's side knowing all too well that Daryl was still irritated with her.

Rick tapped the fence lightly with his knuckles.

"You sure you're ready for round two?" She pulled Andrea's gun out as she spoke.

"The question is… are you?" He looked down at his smaller counterpart with a smug smirk. She returned the arrogant look that he was currently sending her.

"Oh, I was born ready."

"Hey mom," Carl poked his head through the tent door only to see Shane sitting on the floor readjusting his boots. He signaled a 'shhh' to Carl who nodded slowly and took his head back out. Lori was fast asleep and curled up in a sleeping bag. If she Shane believed in angels he was sure she had to be one. He quickly exited the tent right behind the small boy.

"Remember when you told me about the frogs?" He stared up at him with an innocent look on his face.

"How's about we go catch some frogs little man?" Shane smiled and winked at him. The little brunette laughed and began to race to the quarry. He was relieved he didn't have to admit to being wrong about the frog legs debate, and Shane already knew exactly what he was thinking. He was glad he knew him well enough that he didn't have to ask out loud. He stopped running when he reached the edge and stood patiently waiting for Shane to catch up.

"Whew boy, you're too quick for me," he bent over to grab his knees while regaining his unsteady breathes.

"Hey Shane…" he started to climb delicately down the rocks being meticulous to pay attention to both his feet and his mouth. "What's going to happen with you and mom? I mean… now that dad's back?" He didn't turn around to face him which was more of a favor to himself than he knew. Shane felt his blood run cold and face burn hot with jealousy and rage at the question. He hadn't mentioned his father to him in so long, and now he was going to have to deal with it all over again.

"I don't know buddy… I just don't know," he sighed to himself, this was a little harder to deal with than Lori. This was just a fragile little kid.

"I kind of liked it when you were my dad. I wish I could have you both," the sadness rang through his voice bringing pain to Shane's heart. Lori would not be happy if she had heard his confession.

"You best not let your dead hear you say that, it'll break his heart," Shane was not even sure why he was correcting the boy. Pushing Rick out of the picture was something that deep down he knew he truly wanted. He knew it wouldn't happen. It couldn't… He couldn't do that to his best friend, to Lori, or Carl.

Shane smiled down at him and ruffled his hair trying to lighten the mood.

"Let's catch some frogs baby!" He splashed some water up at him and joined him in a small fit of laughter. He wished moments like this could last forever.

They cut a hole in the fence just big enough for living bodies to squeeze through. Each one took their time swooping through as quietly as possible. It was a mission that was certainly easier said than done. Rick swung his legs over the guardrail and decided it was time for a vote.

"Merle first, or the guns?" He watched everyone finish coming out and was not surprised by the first response he received.

"Merle! We ain't even having this conversation," Daryl spat out in anger. These people were as unbelievable as they come. First they offer to help and then they put him as a second priority to a damn bag of guns.

"We are," Rick's voice was stern and not compromising; he was clearly not in the mood for arguing. It was neither the time nor place. In his eyes it was not one or the other as the main concern because they were both going to be attended to before leaving. He turned back to Glenn who ran as fast as his legs would take him to catch up. "You know the geography, it's your call."

"Merle's closest," he said with almost empty lungs. "The guns would mean doubling back, Merle first," Glenn was not willingly agreeing with either one just pointing out the facts.

Taylor followed along quietly behind the men. She knew her opinion would not make the slightest difference, it wasn't like she really cared one way or another anyway. Rick may have made it seem like a majority rules situation but she knew better. Even in the apocalypse it's still a man's world, she thought sarcastically to herself. It was blatantly obvious that he was calling all the shots- just like Shane always did. She realized now that she definitely felt more comfortable letting Rick take control.

They snuck into the deserted mall and approached their first walker immediately. They knew she would be the first of many on this suicide mission. The time to talk was over and hand signals were the quick replacement. Rick's fingers guided everyone's attention over to the lone zombie. The female stumbled her way over to them making Daryl creep forward with the crossbow ready.

"Damn, Merle would love this skank," he whispered to himself as he got closer to his target. He lined the bow right up to her decaying face before letting it loose. The body dropped with a loud thud as blood and brain matter seeped onto the floor below her. No matter how many times Taylor had seen it, it always made her skin crawl and stomach flip- one day that would be her, or worse the man who just shot her. She turned her head to avoid looking at the destruction and Rick set a gentle hand on her shoulder to ease her on. They had to move quickly because everyone knew staying in one spot would only lead to trouble.

The stairs were taken two steps at a time when no more walkers were spotted. T-Dog stepped forward past the others to break the chains off. Daryl sucked in deeply before kicking the roof's door open with force. Taylor jumped at the sound and could not get the broken record to stop playing in her head: please let him be alive, please let him be alive, please…

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl called out to the abandoned rooftop. He searched every corner in utter disbelief that he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Rick, T-Dog, Glenn, and Taylor all slowly walked over to the last area they had seen him. The pipe had the bloody handcuffs attached but no Merle. A solitary severed hand sat nearby as a last reminder of him.

"Damn," Rick huffed and dropped his head in disappointment. He was sure he would still be here. He was certain they would find him alive… he had always been an optimist like that.

"No! NO!" Daryl spotted the hand quickly after they had. To say he was shocked was the understatement of the century. His brother was handless, possibly dead, who knew what really happened. All he knew was that he was long gone. "No…" He paced in angry circles by the butchered hand and blood covered hacksaw. He could not even imagine the pain and confliction his brother must have felt to voluntarily cut off his own hand.

Taylor's muffled cry broke Rick from his trance and he reached his arm out to pull her into his chest. He hugged her close to him already knowing why she was crying. She was clearly not mourning the loss of Merle Dixon. The almost knife fight from earlier had told him everything he needed to know. Rick had been in that position before and knew from experience that regardless if she was aware of it or not she loved him.

"Shhh," he let her cry into his shirt and squeezed her tightly in a warm embrace. He hadn't known her for more than a day but felt a connection. He remembered the day that Lori lost her father. Rick hated the man with a passion but watching his wife be in that much pain from losing him was enough to make his chest tighten with his own pain. He was sure that was exactly how she was feeling, and he could only assume she felt as helpless to comfort him as he did before.

Daryl's face felt like it was on fire and his chest like it was collapsing in on itself. The last of his blood… He fought back the tears for as long as he could but the prickled at his eyes until they had nowhere to go but out. Rick pursued his lips together and prepared a speech in his mind. This could not go on if they were going to get that bag of guns. The group had to be united not falling apart at the seams like it currently was. He pulled Taylor away to one of the corners and looked her square in the eyes.

"Hey… hey. Calm down for a second," he wiped the tears away and placed both of his hands gently on her shoulders. "I know what you're feeling right now. I do. But you have to be strong, we all need you right now, Daryl most of all." She wiped the remaining wetness off her face with the side of her hand. "He's a mess right now and you gotta be the strong one. I know we don't know each other but I need you to trust me on this."

"I… I don't know how to help him-"

"I know you don't. No one really ever does but if we're going to get those guns and get out of this city alive … then you're just gonna have to try your best. We have to be a unit and if even one block isn't steady than the whole tower is gonna fall." He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and nodded towards the distraught man across the way. Taylor pulled herself together with the strength of Rick's speech. She knew now that he would be a much better leader than Shane; he did not have to force her to do anything just simply used his words to build her up to it. Before she could make it halfway there Daryl grunted as the fury raged through him and lifted the crossbow straight to T-Dog's head. Rick pulled his revolver out of the holster and aimed it at Daryl's head without hesitation.

"Oh god," Taylor felt every ounce of courage that was installed in her flood right back out at the moment. Stand offs were not her specialty- wasn't that officer Grime's job? He was apart of it now leaving her to take control. All this calming down business was really starting to wear on her nerves and leave her emotionally exhausted. One wrong move or word and there would be two dead bodies on her hands.

Shane sat alone by the rocks feeling deflated. Carl had rejoined his mother and she never even said a single word to him. She was obviously feeling guilty about their encounter earlier and was choosing the cold shoulder as a quick fix. He ran a hand through his dark locks before shifting his attention to the girls doing laundry. There was loud bickering that sprung up out of nowhere. He glanced over to see Ed causing trouble, nothing new there. He surveyed silently at first to see if the problem would resolve itself until he saw Ed's hand connect with Carol's face.

He wasn't sure if it was the rage of Rick's return, Lori's sudden rejection, or Carl's comment but he jumped off the boulder like a bat out of hell and stormed over to the pursuing fight. With no words he ripped Ed away and threw him to the floor. With no mercy he began connecting right after left hook with his jaw and nose to no end. Ed's blood began to pour out and stain Shane's fists, and for some reason it pushed him to continue further with much more vehemence. He wasn't sure why he couldn't stop and briefly caught himself imagining it was Rick below him. That Rick's blood was soaking his hands.

"If you ever lay your hands on your wife, any other girl, or person at this camp again and I will not stop. I will beat you to death," he threatened as he rose up above Ed's broken body. He gave one hard kick for good measure and received a low groan of anguish from him.

He could not believe he just lost his cool like that in front of everyone. He began to worry if they would question his leadership, or worse, fear him enough to replace him with Rick… He could not get the picture out of his head as it burned in the back of his brain. Shane was not sure if he could contain himself anymore. What was he going to do if he blew his temper again only on Rick? He walked away from Carol crying over her piece of garbage husband. He was in disbelief that he just pictured beating his best friend to a bloody pulp. He prayed silently that he would never have to face that problem but knew that it was only a matter of time…