Okay, here's the thing: I know this chapter deals with a somewhat sensitive issue but I wrote it in a way that hopefully is not too much in your face about it. And as I wrote this, I had SO many doubts if this was how I wanted to go about doing this issue but I think once I got to the end, that I tied it up in a way that won't seem too rushed for you guys. That doesn't mean its my favorite chapter - except for the ending, I think there's something missing with it - but I don't know, it could just be me being my own worst critic as always, so I'll let you guys be the judge. If you guys want me to go back and revamp this chapter then just PM me or review me - otherwise, its probably staying this way :)

HaloHunter89: I almost panicked when you didn't review! Seriously, I thought my computer didn't do something right and the chapter wasn't published for some reason, so I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally got your review. And if that part threw you for a loop, then chances are this one will too. Our thought processes seem to run pretty much along the same line so I wouldn't be surprised if how this chapter plays out, isn't entirely shocking to you, but then again, I could be wrong :)

wickedclownsmile: To answer your question, I think I will, mainly because that's what I've been doing so far anyway. I can tell you that I do intend to throw you guys for a loop and introduce a character that you guys will probably not be expecting at ALL and CERTAINLY one that Tessa and Ethan never would expect see again too, so! Keep reading, keep reviewing and I hope you stick around until the next season :)

Luv ya bunches!

- Nagiana

PS - Sorry if I wrote Merle a LITTLE OC - again, writing this chapter was pretty difficult, so yeah. Also, this chapter takes place during the "Clear" episode where Rick, Michonne and Carl go on a run to get more guns – this is what happens back at the prison in the meantime. So yes, we ARE progressing through the episodes :)


"Know what ya gonna do wit 'em yet?"

"Shut up Merle. I got enough on ma mind as it is right now – I don' need ya followin' me 'round jus' 'cause ya bored."

"Ya should kill him."

"I may be a lot of things, but I ain' a cold blooded murderer -!"

"Oh is tha' true?" There was a laugh as he was interrupted. "So wha' do ya call wha' ya did to our old man? Did he jus' . . . run into tha' strategically placed hatchet over and over again?"

"That was different . . ."

"Well how is now any different, baby brother? Better get rid of tha kid and get him outta tha' way than let him stick 'round and play out those twisted thoughts of his in his head 'til tha day when he actually acts on 'em. Hell, ya saw how he was lookin' at her . . . I may be twisted but I ain' tha' twisted – tha's jus' plain sick!"

Blue eyes met brown ones then and the two Dixon brothers shared a look that appeared wholly expressionless to other people but were largely understandable to the two brothers that shared them. "Suppose tha' we did - how we gonna do it? Ya know damn good and well tha' he ain' goin' anywhere alone with us. Anywhere here in the prison and we'd be found out quicker than anythin'! Gunshots echo unless we do it quiet."

Merle shook his head as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and moved to lean on his shoulder against the wall that Daryl himself was leaning on his back against as well. The both of them turned a cold gaze onto the boy in question and Merle thoughtfully ran his fingers over his lips before he answered. "Naw, ya right, here is too risky. We'll take him huntin', instead. If he won' go alone with us, fine, then we'll take tha' boy of ya's too."

"Merle, ya know tha' ain' happenin' -!"

"Now cool ya jets, baby brother, and let me finish! We take him huntin' – take ya boy with us too so he doesn' think anythin's wrong. I . . . 'hear' a noise off in the woods some ways – ya send Ethan out to investigate, leavin' us alone with tha kid. After tha' . . ." Merle cocked an amused brow and grinned then. "It's jus' a matter of -" He placed a finger-gun to his temple then. "Tick, tick . . . boom." His thumb flicked downwards at the 'boom' and Daryl nodded, although he couldn't help but swallow heavily.

"We can' tell anyone tho' . . . Tess, Ethan . . . her, especially. If we do . . . God only knows what's gonna happen and ain' nobody gonna listen to us when we say tha' we did it to keep her safe! We're gonna have to think up an excuse and fast, especially if we bring Ethan along!" Merle gave a laugh at his warning and slapped a hand against his shoulder.

"Oh come on, Darlina, I've been doin' these stealthy-like assassination missions for a good long while 'fore ya stole me away from Woodbury like a blushin' bride – I know wha' tha' Hell I'm doin'!" His eyes flashed in the slightly gloom. "Ya do still trust me, don't ya Daryl?"

Daryl gazed at him for a minute before he answered. When he did, his voice was quieter than it had been. "Ya help me do this . . .ya help me keep tha people I think as ma own, safe, then ya'll be one step closer to earnin' ma trust back," He gave a half-shrug then. "Or at least I won' think 'bout killin' ya nearly as much as I already do," He shook his head. "But Tess is another matter. Ya'll have to earn her trust back in an entirely different way and don' be shocked if ya never do. And if this gets out then Ethan ain' exactly gonna like ya any more than he already does."

Merle stood there for a minute, the both of them gazing at Tessa sitting at one of the table with Wren and Beth holding Judith and the twins before he spoke. His voice was as quiet as his brother's was and slightly mournful. "Yah, well, I don' intend on dyin' anytime soon, so there goes my window for earnin' back Tessa's trust, eh?" He gave a shrug then too. "And Hell, ya know I ain' gonna rat! Family is family and ya know how secrets are with us! We're like the deep, deep South – we like keepin' shit in tha family!"

Daryl shook his head in disgust at Merle's ill-timed jest as he pushed himself of the wall and glanced at him before he moved off to tell Ethan what they were doing. "Yeah, do me a favor – don' say tha' ever again after this!"


"So, ya ever been huntin' 'fore, Seth?"

Daryl cast his eyes upwards as Merle spoke - his brother's voice cheerful - and towards the clear blue sky that they could see through the gently moving leaves dangling from the tree branches high above them, and found himself strangely Zen. Considering what they were about to do, he was surprisingly okay with it. Maybe he was more like his father than he thought . . .

"Not really. I went hunting with my dad once before this whole world went to Hell in a hand basket but that was so long ago that I nearly forgot."

Daryl felt the young man's eyes drilling holes into his back and ignored him, just simply concentrated on what he was going to tell Ethan when he came back from tracking the mysterious deer that Merle was about to hear, only to find his best friend and his girlfriend's brother gone.

The sharp crunch of their booted feet against the dried leaves and muck as they moved as silently as they could through the waist-high brush, filled his ears, as well as the wet freshness of the forest after that morning's light shower as it filled his nose and cleared his lungs. Maybe that was why he was so okay with all of this . . . it was occurring in a place that he had long considered his sanctuary – a place he knew like the back of his hand – a place he knew someone could run but they couldn't hide if things went badly.

God, he hoped he was right about this . . .!

"Actually, I kind of . . . I was kind of shocked when you guys invited me along." His voice came again and Daryl could see Merle open his mouth in reply but he beat him to the punch.

"Consider it an olive branch, Seth . . ." He replied to him, his voice calm and level if not a little quiet as his hands tightened ever-so-slightly on the black crossbow in his hands. He could see the expressionless look that he knew Ethan had pinned to his back – an expressionless look filled with mounting suspicion.

"Deddy, is everything okay?" He asked but Daryl didn't get a chance to answer him. Merle took that loaded question as his cue to come to a sudden stop, shushing everyone as he did so by holding up his hand. A look crossed his face not entirely dissimilar from a Hound-dog who had sensed a rabbit in the nearby brush and Daryl nodded towards him, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"What'cha hear?" He asked, his voice lowering substantially, and Merle's eyes crossed with his.

"I think I heard a deer – off that ways if I'm not mistaken." Daryl nodded and his eyes fell onto Ethan as he nodded in the general direction.

"Go check it out Ethan, will ya? We'll loop around and meet ya. If it was a deer, hopefully we'll flank it. If not . . . we'll see ya in a minute." Ethan nodded as he immediately headed off and it was then that Daryl's eyes mistakenly crossed paths with Seth's. He could have sworn that his eyes were as expressionless as the dead's, but maybe that was what tipped him off – that no one's eyes should ever be that expressionless. That or Daryl wasn't keeping them as expressionless as he wanted to think he was.

"Hey, Ethan, I'll come with ya, okay? Makes sense to use the buddy system, now doesn't it?" He asked with a laugh and Merle gave a laugh as well as Ethan turned around to face his friend. The oldest Dixon outstretched a hand towards him.

"Yah, no offense, but Ethan's been huntin' and trackin' since he was yay-high to a beanpole from wha' I've heard! And wit a deer, ya want to be as quiet as possible – don' wanna scare it, ya know? Ya might lose it, then," He nodded towards Ethan. "Let him go alone – we'll be in shoutin' distance – he'll be fine. And besides, shit!" He gave another laugh and a grin then as he glanced at Daryl. "Little Darlina here has fuckin' ESP when it comes to his kids anyhow - he'll know if somethin' amiss!"

Daryl had never once been so thankful in his life for smooth-talkin', quick-on-his-feet Merle, because Ethan immediately nodded in agreement. "He's right Seth. We need meat and if this is a deer, then we can't take any chances. It'd be better if I go alone - I'm quiet and no offense, but you could wake the dead with your movements through here!" He told him with a laugh and Seth stood there and gazed at him for a moment before slowly – reluctantly – nodding.

"Okay . . . see ya on the flip-side, okay?" He told him and Ethan nodded and smiled comfortingly. His eyes crossed with Daryl's then as he turned around and a look passed between them – a look that Daryl couldn't rightly decipher. However, he could dwell on it long, for Ethan was off and moving as quietly through the brush as humanely possible as he headed off in the direction that Merle had reported the sound coming from.

Daryl nodded. "Okay, he's off – come on, we'll loop around . . ."

Merle nodded in agreement as the two of them set off, their ears pricking slightly when they finally heard Seth's booted footfalls behind them again. For a minute, they thought he had chosen to follow Ethan instead of them – something that would have drastically upset what they had set out to do, but he didn't.

Don' know whether to pity the kid for his blind stupidity or think he deserves wha's comin' to him even more!

Daryl couldn't hear his brother's thoughts but he stopped when he did and he didn't need to be a physic to understand that the line was soon coming to an end for the kid walking behind them.

"Ya know wha' I've never understood, Seth?" Merle asked as a laugh appeared in his throat when he turned around to face him. Daryl turned slowly as well and he saw a look of mistrust immediately appear in the kid's eyes as his body tensed and his heart jumped up into his throat. "Why brothers want to diddle their own sisters, especially when they have other prime real estate readily available to buy!" Daryl knew he was referring to Beth but stayed quiet as his brother continued: "'Cause, ya know, I might not be tha most morally responsible man here – jus' ask Tess tha'! But ya sister – tha' cute little Wren?" Merle shook his head, a look of disgust and slight anger appearing in his eyes. "Now tha's jus' plain wrong."

"I don't know what the fuck you two are talking about -!"

"Tha's bullshit, Seth, and ya know it!" Daryl snapped, interrupting him mid-sentence, and a look of anger speared through his eyes when Seth's eyes landed on him. He shook his head. "Tha way ya were lookin' at Wren yesterday . . . I know what tha' look's all 'bout, ya little shit – don' think I don'! Tha's tha look I give Tess when I know she's gonna be in the mood for somethin' later that night. Tha's the look a fair amount of men have given their women in the history of this camp but tha' shit . . . tha way ya were lookin' at tha' little girl yesterday . . . there ain' no way in Hell tha', tha' shit's gonna fly – not with us and certainly not with me!"

Seth gazed at them for a minute before heaving a sigh and giving a shrug. "I would say that you guys don't know what the Hell you're talking about again, but something tells that, that won't fly either, will it?" His eyes hardened as he gazed at Daryl. "So let me ask you this: I ain't exactly going to be walking out of these woods alive, ain't I? You're gonna put one of those crossbow bolts through my head and then dump my body somewhere like I'm a sack of rotten potatoes, aren't you?" He shook his head then, not waiting for Daryl or Merle to reply before he continued: "What are you going to tell everyone when I don't come back? What are you going to tell Ethan when you finally meet up with him and I'm not with you guys? What are you going to tell Wren when you three go back to the prison and her big brother ain't with you guys?" He grinned then as he held out his arms and took a step closer to them. "What are you going to tell that hot piece of ass Tessa when the son of her dearly departed best friend don't come back with you guys? You think she's gonna get on her knees in front of you, Daryl, and suck your cock knowing that you killed m -!"

Seth found his words abruptly cut off when Merle closed the distance between them in two big strides, his hand closing ominously around his throat when he did so, and before an quickly enraged Daryl could even think about doing anything. A look of rage was in the older Dixon's eyes as well as the younger, and he shook his head as he let out a cold laugh.

"If I were ya, I would 'ave thought twice 'fore talkin' 'bout Tess in front of us that ways," He told him, his voice coming out dangerously quiet and he could feel the kid's pulse begin to race underneath his thumb as it lay over his jugular. He felt him swallow hard underneath his hand and fought the urge to grin. "Hell, ya better be lucky tha' I 'ave a hold of ya and not ma brother right now. Daryl would 'ave done torn ya scumbag throat out, ya sick little shit!"

"And don' ya worry what I'm goin' to tell ma family – that's ma worry!" Daryl added, his angry eyes catching his as he continued to stand there with Merle's hand around his throat. He shook his head, though, a slightly curious look appearing in his eyes to walk hand-in-hand with his anger. "But I gotta ask somethin' . . . when did ya start lookin' at Wren like that, 'cause ya used to not to. Was it when her and Ethan really started developin' somethin'? Was it when they'd started meetin' in secret tha' ya started to grow a little jealous? Or did ya finally go swan-divin' over tha deep end one mornin' and the first thing ya wanted to do was fuck ya little sister?"

Seth grinned and let out a laugh then. "Kill me if you guys want – it doesn't really matter to me – but please, don't presume to know me – how I think, because no matter what I tell you, I'm still going to die even though its all basically true - everything. So just fucking do it and get it over with."

Merle grinned then and gave another laugh as he nodded. "Yah, well, then I'd say it's ya lucky day, kid . . ."

All Seth could see was Merle's fist flying at his face faster than a speeding bullet before pain exploded behind his eyes and everything went dark.


Ethan's eyes - the same beautiful blue as his father's - scanned the ground before him, looking for anything that resembled deer tracks or for any sign that a deer had come galloping through the high brush. His steps were light and silent as he moved and when he heard the rustling in the trees somewhere off to his left, his ears immediately picked it up. He twirled around when he heard the crashing through the brush, his bow held up and ready, and his heart almost stopped when he saw that it was only Daryl and a bloody nosed Merle.

"What the Hell's wrong with you? And where's Seth?"

"Little shit snuck up on us when we were walkin'. He smacked me in tha nose when Daryl's back was turned and ran off before he could shoot him."

"Where is he?"

"I don' know – didn' ya jus' hear what I said?"

"He's right – he's probably long gone, Ethan." Daryl told him and Ethan rolled his eyes.

"No, I mean, where did you stash his body?"

The silence that came then was all-pervading and for a moment, Daryl and Merle thought they had heard him wrong. They gazed at him in stunned shock for a minute, their eyes wide with the same emotion as Ethan continued to gaze at them expectantly.

"Well?"

"Ethan, how did you -?"

"I'm your son, ain't I, deddy? And what do you always say – Dixons are nothing if not observant? Hell, I knew something was up the split second you said to bring Seth huntin' with us," He shook his head, his wide eyes catching his father's, where he held them. "Huntin's always been our thing together; when you tell me we're going huntin', then I know no one's going but us two – that was your mistake! Even bringing him with us set off something inside my head!" He explained, nodding to Merle as he did so before he shook his head then. "And I ain't stupid, deddy, you know I ain't! I saw the way he was lookin' at Wren and I knew what you guys were doing when he made up that 'deer' sound and then you told me to go track him while you three looped around to meet me. It was clever, I'll give you that, but why do you think I jumped to tell him to stay with you guys when he wanted to come with me?" He asked and Merle stood there gazing at him for a minute before slowly shaking his head in slight wonderment.

"Well I'll be damned! Daryl, I do think ya kid's been playin' us like a fiddle since we left the damn prison!" He remarked with a hint of respect echoing in his eyes and Daryl shook his head.

"Ethan, ya mean ya . . . knew all along?" He asked and Ethan nodded.

"Like I said, it wasn't exactly hard to figure it all out if I stayed observant. And besides, like I said, I saw the way he was starting to look at Wren and I . . . I couldn't allow that," He swallowed hard as he turned a hard look at his father. "I . . . I think I love her, deddy. I couldn't stand by and let him look at her that way – not her. Not. Her."

They stayed in silence for a while until Daryl pursed his lips and nodded. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and Ethan almost didn't hear him over Merle spitting out a big wad of blood from his mouth and onto the muddy forest floor. "We dumped him a little ways that way – far enough in to where nobody's gonna find him for quite a while. He ain't comin' back, neither – we made sure of it."

"What are ya gonna tell momma and Wren when we get back?" He asked as he swallowed hard in slight nervousness. Daryl pursed his lips for a minute before swallowing hard as well.

"I'm gonna tell ya momma the truth. And together, we'll figure out what to tell Wren."


At first, when Daryl sat down and explained to Tessa later that afternoon just why Seth was not with them when they returned and just why Merle came back with a suspiciously Shane-esque bloody nose, she thought it was a joke.

"Great, now we gotta figure out how to explain this to tha others. Any suggestion, baby brother?"

"Hey, bro, stand still, will ya?"

"Wait – wha' are ya doin'?"

"What does it look like I'm doin'? I'm takin' a leaf out of Shane's book!"

But as he explained it to her – bit by painful bit – that Seth had been giving Wren looks that neither her nor Merle or Ethan particularly liked – and that the only solution they could reach within short notice was to kill him - her grin disappeared and her eyes darkened. She didn't react after a while as he continued explaining things to her beyond asking the occasional quiet question and when he was done, she got shakily to her feet, mentioned something about having to go check on the twins, and then left, without another word.

And when she came back a few minutes later, her still darkened eyes downcast to the floor, she stood before him, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her teeth gritted.

"And Ethan knew all along, he just didn't choose to reveal to you that he knew until the end, right?"

"He's incredibly smart, Tess. He kept it from us the entire time. Hell, he almost played both of us for a fool!"

"And you're absolutely sure that Seth was looking at her that way?" Daryl nodded.

"Would I lie about this?"

"I don't know, Daryl. You did kill your father, after all . . ."

"Tha' was for a damn good reason and ya know it, Tess! Just like this time was for a damn good reason as well!" He shook his head, his eyes pleading as they gazed up at her. "Ya know how much I see tha' girl as a daughter, Tess! And whether I didn' like the boy or not, he was still her brother and ya know I would have done nothin' to risk hurtin' her unless I felt tha' I absolutely had to! And Hell, if we would have pushed him enough, he probably would have confessed to the entire damn thing anyway – he certainly alluded to it somewhat!"

Tessa gazed at him for a minute before she spoke and when she did, her voice was quiet and pensive. "You know, I talked to Maggie . . . and Beth, and Carol too, when I getting the twins their bottles. They noticed it as well – for a while, actually. It hadn't particularly been rubbing them the right way too and when I hinted at what you and Merle had done, they . . ." She looked away before giving a bark of a laugh. "Goddamnit, they were almost relieved about it – that he was gone and he wasn't going to be coming back any time soon . . .!" She shook her head as she looked down at the floor again. "And Hell, I think I noticed it too, Daryl, I just didn't want to accept it."

Daryl watched as Tessa weakly shook her head and took a seat beside him. She allowed him to take her hand and entwine their fingers and when she turned a mournful look onto him, he answered her with the same look. "Baby, I knew that boy since he was a kid! All while watching him grow up, if you would have told me that he would have been like this – that he would have had those thoughts swirling around in his head, I would have laughed until I was red in the face! Just goes to show how badly people can change . . . and how you never really know a person, right?"

"Wha' are we going to tell Wren? Do we want to tell her tha truth or do we want to keep her in tha dark?" He asked her, his voice gentle and quiet and she turned her eyes onto him. She swallowed heavily and shrugged as he moved closer to her and she allowed him too – readily. "I mean, Tess, I love Wren to death, ya know I do, but . . . I doubt she noticed how badly he had changed – how he was startin' . . . to look at her. Hell, if ya want ma opinion, then I think we should -"

"Lie to her? Yeah, I agree – wholeheartedly!" Tessa interrupted him with a sigh and a nod. "I just don't know what we should tell her, Daryl. Either way – no matter what we say – she's going to be hurt. Whether we tell her you and Merle done away with him because he was starting to view her in a way that was extremely inappropriate for their relationship, or that he just . . . up and left – it's still going to wound her."

They were distracted then by Wren coming out of the guard office, two empty bottles in her hand left over from that morning's feeding, where Ethan met her on the stairs. The grin that immediately appeared on her face when she saw him and the way her eyes immediately lit up like lights on a Christmas tree, made the both of them smile. Daryl laughed a little. "He told me back in the woods that he thought he loved her . . ." He told her, his voice quiet and Tessa glanced at him, a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Daryl, he's fourteen!" She reminded him and Daryl gave another laugh, as well as a shrug.

"So? Tess, we weren' tha' much older than they are when we fell in love, remember? Is it too much to accept tha' maybe our son and Wren will follow in our footsteps? And I mean, Hell, in this day and age, maybe . . . maybe love is more earnest than it was before all this started. I mean, after all, there isn' exactly a high life expectancy rate anymore, so . . . maybe love, when it comes, stays." He gave another shrug. "And, uh . . . maybe with Ethan here, she won' be as hurt by the news as we think. I mean, yeah, he was her brother and she loved him and of course she's goin' to mourn him, but maybe with Ethan, she'll get over him quicker."

Tessa smiled a small smile. "As long as I'm not made a grandmother before the twins are ten, I'm perfectly fine!" She laughed and Daryl grinned and let out a snort of a laugh as he tiredly rubbed his face with his hands.

"Oh, believe me, Tess, me and Ethan have had tha' conversation many times! Ya don' have to worry 'bout tha' at all!"