Hey everyone! I'm finally trying to get back into the swing of things, writing wise. I've had a serious battle with writer's block here lately. Let's see what we can do with this last chapter.

Many thanks to: MyName'sBooDixon, a Guest, CreepyDaisy, and LaurenEmilyxx for their reviews last chapter.

I own nothing.

Family Affairs- Chapter Two: Bonding

Daryl and Merle remembered how it was to live together, just like it was yesterday. Only, this time, they brought girls into the mix. The younger Dixon brother brought out some house rules when his older brother and Michonne came to stay for the Thanksgiving holiday. PDA was fine, but any time the touching got a little too heavy, away to the bedroom they would go. Daryl knew that Merle was having sex, but he didn't want to see it. Ever.

More general house rules were the usual: clean up after yourself, and stay the hell out of trouble. It sounded like an older brother chiding his younger sibling, when really it was the other way around. But, considering the source, Daryl didn't doubt his decision for one minute.

At first, things were fine. The brothers got along, and so did their women.

During their first morning together, Carol woke up at about six that morning to cook breakfast for the group. She raided her boyfriend's pantry for the perfect breakfast menu; the college student loved cooking, especially for Daryl. He was always so bashful about it. Saying that she was too good for him. But, hey, that just gave her more incentive to cook for him. She hoped to convince him that he did deserve all of this. After all, he was the sweetest boyfriend ever.

Carol was focusing on beating some eggs over the kitchen counter, when Michonne came into the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

"Mornin'," the lawyer spoke groggily. The other young woman then spun around to see who had spoken to her.

"Good morning to you too, Michonne," Carol greeted, a warm smile in place. "Are you a coffee drinker?"

"Absolutely," she groaned, heading over to the cabinets. Daryl had no discretion about asking for food, drinks, and all of that happy horse shit. As long as you spoke up when things were low, he could care less. With Michonne and Carol, he didn't have a problem. They weren't there to eat everything in sight. Merle, on the other hand, he should have made stricter rules for.

The darker-skinned woman grabbed a cup of coffee and went over to stand next to the art major. She took one more sip of her hot beverage and sat it down out of the way. "You want some help?"

"Sure," Carol replied cheekily. "You got any breakfast specialties?"

Michonne shrugged, a smile spreading across her full lips. "Merle eats the hell out of my homemade pancakes, so I guess I do."

"Mmm. Daryl loves my omelets," the college student laughed, "guess our Dixon boys just have hearty appetites."

"Well, my man is still snorin' like a buzzsaw, so I guess we have time to surprise them with breakfast," the other woman went around to the pantry to grab her needed ingredients and went to cook right alongside Carol.

When the Dixon boys woke up, they immediately caught a whiff of breakfast cooking. The two of them came stumbling down the stairs like a couple of zombies, their sense of smell being the only real thing leading them to the kitchen.

"Well, good morning boys," Carol smiled in the Dixon boys' direction. They grumbled incoherently and both, in turn, plopped down at the kitchen table.

"Hmph," Michonne snorted, "you would think that these two were used to a routine or somethin'." She went around to Merle and waved her coffee under his nose, abandoning her cooking station for a moment.

The elder Dixon brother groaned and reached for his girlfriend, burrowing his head in her stomach. "You makin' breakfast or somethin'? Smells good down here."

The lawyer tipped his chin up and gave him a quick kiss. "What kind of girlfriend would I be if I wasn't?"

"Thought I had seen e'erthin' in my life before I saw my brother bein' all mushy," Daryl grumbled to himself. He too was greeted with his girlfriend, who was bearing a steaming hot mug of coffee. He glanced up at Carol, smiling sleepily. "Good mornin', babe."

Carol kissed Daryl's forehead as he took the coffee into his hands. "Good morning, Pookie," she greeted sweetly.

Merle pulled away from Michonne's lips, scoffing quietly. "Ain't ya glad we don't get all mushy like those two?"

The young lawyer just laughed to herself. "Sure. If that's what helps you sleep at night." She bent down to kiss his lips once more. "Now, do you want coffee or not?"

The solider grumbled under his breath as he let go of his girlfriend. Okay, so what if he was in love with this woman? They had been seeing each other, off and on, for the past eight years. If she hadn't refused him a few times in the beginning, he never would have invested so much time in being with her. And now they were in love. Surely ain't no turning back now.

Carol left her boyfriend to resume her cooking. She had a smile on her face, as Michonne did when she got hers a mug of coffee.

"So," Daryl interrupted the quiet atmosphere with a tired rasp, "what did you want to do while you were here, Merle? Ya ain't been missin' much bein' away."

"Not a clue, baby brother," Merle began, pulling Michonne into his lap as she sat his coffee in front of him. "Surprise us, huh?"

Daryl shrugged and shared a look with his girlfriend. "Guess we could think o' somethin'."

All in all, things were looking up. Of course, the younger Dixon brother forgot to take into consideration just how much time his brother spent with his head practically stuck up his girlfriend's ass. Merle Dixon had never sugar coated his sex life for anyone, and he wasn't planning on doin' that anytime soon, either.

o—o—o

Things started to get chaotic when Merle decided to waltz into his brother's room in the middle of the night. Carol and Daryl hadn't slept together yet; the two of them had agreed on waiting for the right time for the both of them. Until then, they had reached the previous two bases as comfortably as they possibly could.

Tonight, though, it seemed like a perfectly good night. The four of them had went out on a double date. They had went to the movies, and had dinner promptly after that. It was late at night when the two couples got back to the house. Michonne had announced that she would be in the bath, which meant that Merle would probably be too busy bugging the hell out of her. Oh, how wrong that assumption was.

At about midnight, Carol and Daryl were busily examining each other's tonsils. The two of them felt completely at ease; it was about time for a little chaos, whether they were ready for it or not. After all, the Dixon boys never admitted to have easy lives.

Merle's footsteps came thundering down the hallway, which drew the two out of their embrace.

Daryl sighed and rested his forehead against Carol's. "I swear, if my brother busts up in 'ere—"

"Maybe he had to get something for Michonne?" the young woman whispered, her blue eyes locking with her hunter boy's darker ones.

The younger Dixon brother just kept grumbling to himself, rolling Carol to where she was underneath him again. "S'long as he don't try nothin' funny."

"Let's just not focus on that, hmm? It's just the two of us here," Carol whispered. She wrapped her skinny arms around her boyfriend's neck and started to run her fingers through his shaggy hair.

"Hmm. Works for me," Daryl shrugged, ducking down to catch her lips with his again.

The couple's quiet time was short-lived, however. Merle decided that he wasn't going to be polite and knock first. He threw the door open and waltz into his baby brother's bedroom like he owned the place.

"Yo, Darylina! Where's the damn toilet paper, man?" Merle shouted, so loud that the younger Dixon brother was sure that the neighbors heard him.

Carol squeaked and curled up against Daryl for good measures. She should have known better. Of all times, he had to choose this time.

"Ooh! Baby brother, was I interruptin' somethin' 'ere?" Merle asked, a grin coming across his face.

"Fuck yeah, you're interrupting somethin'! Man, it's is the utility room, first cabinet," Daryl grumbled, pulling his woman closer. "I'll see how you like it when I interrupt you an' Michonne."

The elder brother just chuckled. "Oh no, no, little brother. You think I'm gonna stop doin' what I'm doin' jus' 'cause you're talking to me?" He sent the couple another shit-eating grin. "Don't lemme stop ya'll. Get to gettin' will ya?" Merle started chuckling louder, calling back as he left the room, "I ain't gettin' any younger! I need me some nieces and nephews to teach some good ol' tough love!"

Carol groaned, burrowing her face in Daryl's shirt. "He really doesn't consider anyone else's privacy, does he?"

"I warned ya, babe," Daryl murmured, ducking slightly to kiss his woman's temple.

And the fun was just now beginning.

o—o—o

After the bedroom fiasco, things were starting to look better. Merle, surprisingly, didn't make a big deal about it and want to dog his baby brother about the fact that he caught him in the middle of doin' a little somethin', somethin'. He thought about it; damn right he did. But he decided to give his younger brother a break of some kind.

That next afternoon, a similar scene occurred. Daryl and Carol were passing through the living room, when they saw Merle and Michonne curled up on the couch together, kissing each other soundly. The younger Dixon brother would give anything in this world not to have to see his brother being sexually active in any way, shape, or form. Even kissing was a little iffy for Daryl, 'cause he knew what that would lead to.

The younger Dixon brother had to do a double take to catch what was really going on. Merle had one arm wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulder, but the other was resting against her thigh, with that hand tucked underneath the skirt that she wore. He wasn't paying any attention to their audience; his endeavor was to pull down her underwear. Michonne felt a little iffy about that, but she didn't start to pull away from him until she saw Daryl and Carol.

"We are in your brother's living room, remember?" She reminded her boyfriend. He huffed and sat his hand back on top of her thigh.

"Hey little brother!" Merle greeted, still highly annoyed that his brother had to ruin his fun. He didn't care if they had an audience, but he did care if his woman was comfortable or not. "We were just about to go up to our room, right my Nubian Queen?"

"Let's just wait a little later. Besides, it's about time me and Carol talk about what we're gonna do for Thanksgiving dinner," Michonne sat up, trying her best to shake that feeling of awkwardness away.

Damn buzzkill, Merle thought to himself. "Yeah, a'right. Me an' Daryl are gonna go out huntin', so ya'll don't have to worry 'bout buyin' meat at the store."

Thanksgiving was about a week away. Carol went to the kitchen to put on another pot of coffee, and Michonne followed suit, leaving the Dixon boys to themselves.

"Consider that payback for last night" Daryl murmured, elbowing his brother in the gut.

Merle sighed and watched his woman walk away, completely brushing off his brother's jab. "Look at her walkin' away like that. I could take her up to our room. She wouldn't have time to think about how ya'll snuck up on us," the elder Dixon brother started to grin. "Darylina, I wanna marry that woman."

The younger Dixon brother's squinted eyes grew wider. "You what, now?"

"I love her, man. I know sometimes I can be an asshole, but I'm trying. I don't wanna lose her over some stupid shit," the elder Dixon brother slumped back into the couch. "Like her walking away just now."

"That was just her trying to clear the air. She ain't gonna leave ya for shit like that," Daryl plopped down next to his older brother. "The woman is crazy about ya, even me an' Carol know that."

"Which is why ya'll are gonna help me wit' this whole proposal thing," Merle began, giving a quick nod to his little brother. Seeing his look, he added on, "ya know that I ain't good with words. It took me near eight damn years just to tell the woman that I loved her. I don't want to wait forever to tell her that I want to spend the rest o' my life with her."

Daryl shook his head of messy hair. "How in the hell are we gonna help?"

"….I'll let you know when I figure that part out…"

o—o—o

Merle finally had an idea of how he was going to propose. Daryl and Carol had no idea of what was going on, until Thanksgiving Day. Technically speaking, the elder Dixon brother himself had no idea of what he was going to do until that morning. It all popped into his head. He had gotten the ring ahead of time, thankfully. Otherwise, this would have been an even bigger fiasco.

The older Dixon crept around the dining area with the sacred velvet box tucked under his arm. Carol and Michonne were distracted with dinner prep, so he decided to take the time to set up his plan. Merle dropped the box off on the middle of her place setting. He was actually getting rather nervous. The redneck had no idea if she would say yes or no. Having to wait was practically killing him.

A little while later, the women folk were starting to bring the food out to the table. Little by little, the table was full of good grub. Merle had grown more and more nervous as the day drew on, by now he was practically squirming where he sat. He watched as his girlfriend took her place between him and Daryl.

Michonne took her man's hand in her own and gave it a light squeeze. Carol looked around at her little family, and started with a blessing. While the Dixon boys were more of a good food, good meat, good God let's eat, kinda family now-a-days, they still joined their women in being thankful for what was in front of them and all around them.

The lawyer noted the velvet box on her plate with a quizzical expression. She looked over to her boyfriend, who was piling food on his plate. "Anyone know what this box is doing here for?" she asked that in general, but the redneck knew who she was really asking.

"It's from me," Merle finally spoke. "Go on, open it up." He nodded to her, sitting back in his seat to watch her. Daryl and Carol shared an all-knowing look; the latter had to practically hold herself back from squealing.

Michonne opened the box, eyes widening as she saw the engagement ring. The gem nestled against the band was sparkling scarlet.

The elder Dixon watched his girlfriend for a moment, trying to gauge her reactions. "Michonne," he began in a rasp, "what do you say? I can't tell you how much I love you, but I can show you—become my wife."

Daryl was beyond amazed at his brother. He couldn't imagine how nerve wracking that moment could possibly be. Seeing Merle sweat in anticipation explained everything. He could see how in love they were, all by the expression on his older brother's face.

"Yes," the young woman nodded. "A million times yes," her mouth spread into a wide smile as she slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Merle was taken by surprise as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as she could. One-handedly, the redneck began to fill his woman's plate up with food. Daryl and Carol smirked back at one another as they began to tuck themselves into their dinners.

"So," the elder Dixon brother grinned at Daryl, "when are you gettin' hitched, baby brother?"

The younger redneck started to choke on his own food. Carol, with a look of concern on her face, just rubbed his back. "What? Yer kiddin' me, right?"

"Why would I be? We could have us a double weddin' or somethin', huh?" Merle placed his fiancé's plate down and started to shovel in his own food. Around a mouthful of food, he added, "like I said, I ain't gettin' no younger, Darylina."

"Let Carol finish college first. Then we'll start thinkin' 'bout it," Daryl glanced over at his woman, who was now blushing fiercely. He would love nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with Carol, but it really was way too soon to think about settling down.

"Suit yourself," Merle elbowed Michonne and whispered to her, "we'll have a house full o' kids by the time they decide to finally get hitched, I'm tellin' ya."

"Oh great," Daryl groaned, "more Merles to boss me around." He stabbed a piece of turkey viciously, making Carol glance at him worriedly.

"Yeah. They'll love Uncle Darylina. Visits every Sunday. You an' me, boy, we'll teach 'em how the world goes," Merle nodded, "just how I raised you. We'll do the same with yer kids, too."

Merle was determined for his kids to live a better life that he did. They would know the meaning s of a tough love, but a true love nonetheless. Daryl was afraid of his kids going down the wrong path; therefore, he tried his best not to talk about future plans to start a family. He was sure that Carol would talk about with him, maybe she could even change his mind.

"Merle, kitten, let's just focus on the wedding first," Michonne laughed, caressing the back of her future-husband's neck. "Now, eat your food."

"Yes, dear," Merle murmured, kissing his woman's temple before digging back into his dinner.

o—o—o

Epilogue

At the end of the two weeks, Merle was sure that his place was here in Georgia, near his brother and his girlfriend. The Georgia base could be a good thing, for both him and Michonne. When they were to get married, she would receive a heavy heaping of benefits from him being in the military, as well as them staying on a military base. They could still visit Daryl; in fact, it would be a lot easier now, as the base was less than a thirty-minute drive from the house.

The elder Dixon brother had promised Daryl that he would be home by the first of the year. And, by that time, he would be a married man, ready to make the most with the rest of his life.

"Don't do nothin' stupid without me, bro, ya hear?" Merle grinned pulling away from them embrace he had with his brother.

"Try not to," Daryl cracked a smile, "take care o' yourself, Merle."

"We'll be sending you wedding invites," Michonne explained, taking her fiancé by the hand, "'cmon, honey, we got a plane to catch."

Daryl stood back, pulling his girlfriend into his arms. The two Dixon boys were separated once more, but the good news was that it wouldn't be for much longer. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the younger redneck did love his brother. He missed him when he wasn't around, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. After all, everyone had their own family affairs.

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