AN: I'm not insanely thrilled with this chapter, but it is what it is.

Sorry for my absence here, but I've been really busy in real life and my writing time has mostly been focused on another of my stories that the muse has been driving me crazy on. I did want to get back here for a bit, though, so here you go!

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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Tyreese and Sasha had shown up for dinner just as everything was ready for everyone to sit down and eat. As they came through the door, introductions were made short and sweet and consisted mostly of a roll call of names before everyone crowded around the dining room table.

Daryl and Merle had brought over the dining room chairs from Merle and Andrea's house so that everyone would have somewhere to sit, figuring that it might give the wrong impression if Tyreese's little sister came to meet the group and realized that they were accustomed to a first come, first serve basis with the best furniture in the house.

Michonne had been more high strung than usual the entire day, especially due to the fact that Anjelica was suffering from an obvious earache and was spending most of her free time protesting loudly every single thing about her existence. She was only satisfied, and even then only partially, when Hershel allowed her to take up semi-permanent residency in his lap and play with the gold pocket watch on a chain that he always wore.

Fussy children, crowded spaces, and Michonne's worry aside, though, the dinner had promise to at least be pleasant for everyone involved. Jo Greene had brought food, Axel had brought food, and Andrea and Carol had both spent the day each preparing enough food to feed a small army. If nothing else, no one was leaving the little soiree hungry, and there was always something to be said for that.

Daryl wasn't entirely sure why the dinner was all that important. He understood, because Carol had explained it to him about ten different times in ten different ways, that it was the first time that Sasha was meeting everyone, and that as Tyreese's younger sister and his favorite person in the world, it was important that she feel welcome and accepted, but Daryl didn't think that their little group of friends gathered together typically had any problem welcoming and accepting anyone. Hell…they let Merle eat at the table…so he couldn't figure out what it was about the whole thing that had Michonne wound tight enough to pop and had her rubbing at her temples long before the honored guest had even arrived.

When Tyreese and Sasha got there, though, it didn't take too long for Daryl to figure out that maybe it wasn't the people he knew well that were going to run the risk of not being accepting enough.

Once Carol had met Tyreese at the door, hugging him and hugging Sasha though the girl looked a little taken aback by the act, she hung up their coats and ushered them toward the table where everyone else was already getting settled in anticipation of the meal to come.

Since the dinner was so important, Daryl had taken special care to make sure that the chair he saved for Sasha was the least wiggly of the chairs that they had, so he was sure to direct her to it as soon as he'd reported his name and waved at her somewhat awkwardly, not feeling yet like he wanted to hug her quite like Carol had.

Once everyone was settled, Hershel had suggested that they all say grace and Daryl had caught Andrea elbowing Merle hard when he started to say something in protest. Admittedly they didn't typically say grace before their meals…but they could do it for Hershel and they could certainly do it if it was supposed to make the experience that much more pleasant for Sasha…and hopefully remove the nauseous look from Michonne's resting face.

"This sure is a spread," Tyreese commented, spooning out food as quickly as everyone else was, the plates being passed back and forth a flutter of activity. "You ladies really went all out."

Carol smiled at him.

"It wasn't just ladies," she said. "Axel made two of the pies."

"I ain't real good at making real food," Axel tossed in, "but I can make a pretty mean pie when I set my mind to it."

"So Sasha," Hershel said, "tell us about yourself. Tyreese hasn't told us much."

Daryl glanced at the girl. She looked a little uncomfortable, but he couldn't much blame her. That many people that you didn't know was bound to make you feel at least a little out of sorts.

"Well, I'm at Georgia State…it's my senior year," Sasha offered.

"What are your plans after that?" Hershel asked.

Daryl glanced around the table and noticed that everyone seemed quite happy to pay special attention to their food and leave Hershel to directing the conversation. He was probably best, all things considered, at leading a civil dinner conversation anyway if they didn't want it go south with discussions about just things that happened around Sweet Junction…things that would be of little interest to a University student who lived in Atlanta.

"I'm hoping to study law," Sasha said.

"Oh…you could work with Michonne," Miss Jo offered.

Daryl cast his eyes at Michonne. He was particularly worried about her. She didn't look good and she hadn't looked good all day. He was afraid she might get sick and that might be a sure fire way to insure that their dinner party was nothing short of a disaster if she upchucked across the table.

Sasha shook her head and chuckled lightly.

"Well, I'm looking to practice in Atlanta," Sasha said. "Small towns aren't really my speed. I'm looking for something a little more intense."

For a moment the conversational train got derailed. No one knew what to say. Obviously small towns were the speed of everyone at the table or they wouldn't all reside in Sweet Junction with no intention of moving elsewhere. The silence began to grow somewhat deafening, though, even for Daryl. He didn't mind a natural lull in a conversation, but it was pretty evident that this one was caused by everyone waiting for everyone else to come up with something to say…anything really…that might give them something to talk about.

Thankfully, though, it was Tyreese who broke the silence.

"I liked Atlanta," he said. "But I guess that small towns were really more my style. I keep telling Sasha that if she stayed in the area longer, Sweet Junction would get its hooks in her."

Everyone chuckled at his comment, even though it really wasn't all that funny, because it felt like chuckling might lighten the situation and might help to make everything move more smoothly.

"Sure did with me," Axel offered.

Everyone's attention turned toward the man and he ducked his head somewhat awkwardly. Apparently he hadn't thought that tossing in his two cents worth would make him the new and unofficial leader of the group, but that's exactly what had happened.

"You're not from here?" Sasha asked.

Axel shook his head and chuckled.

"Not from anywhere really…least not anymore. Hard to be from somewhere when ya don't really fit there," Axel said. He glanced around the table and cleared his throat. "I got transferred, though…work at the steel mill in the next town…mostly on the lines. Like living in Sweet Junction better though. Can't complain."

Daryl thought that if he'd been sitting next to the man he might have clapped him on the shoulder in a show of solidarity. Right this moment Axel looked like he'd like to crawl under the table.

Sasha smiled at him though.

"And the rest of you? What kinds of jobs are there around here?" Sasha asked, glancing around the table.

Everyone was silent for a moment, no one really knowing who should speak. Finally Daryl bit the bullet.

"Hershel here's gotta farm," he offered. "I work out there…an' Merle works with ya brother."

Merle nodded at the girl. He'd been sworn to silence by Andrea so he was paying far more attention to his food than he really was to anything else.

"I work at the law office," Carol offered.

"Are you a lawyer?" Sasha asked.

Carol shook her head.

"Just a secretary. I'm a waitress too, though. I work with Andrea at the Watering Hole and we both work odd jobs at other places in town," Carol explained.

"But we're going back to school," Andrea offered quickly, shooting a smile at Carol. She nodded, though there was nothing really to nod at. "We're going to be beauticians…hoping to open our own place."

The two women exchanged smiles and Daryl smiled at them. They both wanted this beauty shop they were planning bad enough to taste it and he and Merle hadn't figured out how they were going to do it yet, but they figured that somehow they were going to figure out how to get it for them.

"Well that's nice," Sasha offered, smiling.

"Are you going to be in the wedding?" Jo asked, leaning around a little so that she could see Sasha better.

Sasha glanced back and forth between Tyreese and Michonne a moment. Daryl didn't think her facial expression looked like she was excited about it if she was going to be in it. He hated weddings, though…and he was stuck being one of the groomsmen…so he could understand if she wasn't looking forward to all the pomp and circumstance that Michonne was designing for their special little day. He was going to have to wear a tie…and he'd already expressed his dislike at that.

"I'm not sure," Sasha said, somewhat hesitantly.

Daryl caught Jo shoot a look at Michonne, but Michonne looked like she was trying to concentrate on keeping her food down and feeding Celine who was sitting in her lap rather than occupying the high chair that had been brought there for her. She also looked like she was ready to throw in the towel on both counts.

It was clear, though, that they were at a point where no one knew quite what to say. Daryl thought Miss Jo kept looking like she was going to say something more, but she wasn't sure she wanted to commit to whatever it was.

"We've asked Sasha to be in the wedding," Michonne offered finally. "She's just not sure with school and all if she's going to have the chance to be there."

Michonne smiled…the fakest smile Daryl had ever seen her paste on. He glanced at Carol, but she wasn't looking at him. Andrea wasn't looking at him either. He was beginning to wonder if there were parts of this story that he was missing.

Sasha swallowed and then offered a half smile to anyone who was looking at her, glancing around somewhat awkwardly.

"I have a lot on my plate this year," she offered. "And…I think that the wedding might be a little soon."

"Ain't for another couple a' months," Merle offered, breaking his vow of silence. In return for his gesture, Daryl saw him get an elbow to the ribcage which he protested with a growl and something muttered to Andrea.

"I meant too soon in general," Sasha said. She sighed.

"Well," Hershel offered, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I suppose if two people love each other…and they want to make a commitment to each other…then the rest will work itself out. It always has a way of working itself it out."

Daryl caught that Hershel glanced in his direction and he half smiled at him before turning back to catch Sasha's reaction to the old man's words. She didn't look impressed, or really even convinced.

"It takes time to know you really want to commit to someone, don't you think?" She offered. "I think that Michonne is delightful…and I'm sure you're all really great people…but I just don't think that Tyreese has really even been here long enough to know if he wanted to marry her."

Sasha glanced at Michonne who had now assumed a poker face at the entire situation.

"It's nothing against you...really," Sasha offered.

Michonne just nodded and offered the fake smile again.

Daryl had never heard Michonne described as delightful before. In fact, he wasn't sure that he'd ever heard anyone described as delightful in earnest.

"I can assure you that Tyreese and Michonne love each other very much," Andrea offered.

Daryl didn't know why, but he almost felt like she'd just thrown herself in front of a bus. His stomach flip flopped in the same manner that it might if he'd been watching a damn bus barreling toward her and wondering why the hell she'd do something so damn stupid.

Andrea offered the girl a sincere smile, though, and Carol seconded the motion that they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that their friends were in love…which Daryl believed as well.

"That's right," Tyreese said suddenly. "We do love each other very much."

He shook his head a little and picked at his food before continuing, but the floor was all his since no one else really knew what else to say or do.

"And whether or not you're there, we're getting married," Tyreese finished.

And if it wasn't awkward before, it got awkward then. No one else at the table had anyone who might even begin to protest anything that they did as far as getting married or not getting married…or staying single…or even just living with someone until bulls grew teats.

As far as Daryl knew, Michonne's parents hadn't said anything about her marriage to Tyreese…and as for the rest of them…most of them were pretty damn alone in the world. No one outside of the people gathered at this table would hardly even notice if they ceased to exist…so they certainly didn't care what they did with the life that they had.

"You're my big brother," Sasha offered, looking at her plate.

"Exactly," Tyreese said. "Big brother…I'm more than capable of taking care of my own life."

Silence fell on the table then. The same uncomfortable and awkward silence that had been there before, although now it was even more marked than it had been.

Finally, Merle cleared his throat and craned around Andrea so that he could get a better view of Axel.

"How 'bout that pie?" He asked.

Daryl realized that many of them had stopped eating entirely and were sitting like kids being punished with their hands in their laps. The few that were still pretending to eat, like Hershel and Jo, were more or less pushing food around on their plates with and staring at it as it changed positions.

It was only Merle…who had been sworn to silence…that had actually eaten a full plate of food, or rather inhaled it, while everything was taking place.

Axel was one of the people staring at his food and pushing it around with a fork. He looked at Merle when he was asked about the pie and then glanced around the table as though he was seeking someone's permission to give it to him. He wasn't going to find that permission, though, because Daryl was the only one that was looking at him.

Finally, Merle growled and stood up. He went into the kitchen and a few minutes later he came back carrying a pumpkin pie. He sat down at the table, moved his plate out of the way, and put the pie in front of him, beginning to eat around part of it with the fork he'd just finished dinner with. Daryl stared at him. He wanted to say something to him about it, but now that everyone had turned into stone people, he didn't feel like he wanted to break the solemn silence.

"Ya got a problem, lil' brothah?" Merle drawled after a minute, lolling his head in Daryl's direction before taking a particularly large forkful of the pie into his mouth.

Daryl figured that since he was being addressed, now was as good a time as any to speak up.

"Kinda damn rude, Merle…eatin' outta the pie like that an' ain't even asked nobody if they want none," Daryl offered.

Merle chuckled.

"I like pie…" Merle said. He chuckled again, all eyes on him now while he forked another mouthful into his mouth and chewed it slowly. He spoke before he'd even bothered to swallow the whole bite. "Might just eat the whole fuckin' thing myself…"

"You're going to get sick…" Andrea muttered, a little annoyance in her voice.

Merle chuckled again and nodded, shoving another mouthful into his mouth.

"I might…" he said through the pie. He swallowed. "But it don't matter if my lil' damn brothah…or my…" he paused, "Andrea…don't like me eatin' the whole damn thing. If I like it, I'ma eat it, an' they ain't no damn body at this table man enough ta take the shit away from me. An' if I get sick an' puke my guts up for half a damn day…reckon that's my damn bellyache ta deal with too."

Everyone was looking at him. He looked at Sasha then, who was looking at him with her lip curled like most of the people that were watching the destruction of the pie that was taking place.

"Ya brother's all haired over…" Merle said, still keeping his eyes on her. "Way I see it…ya got two choices…ya can either deal with what the hell he does 'cause he's ya damn brother…or ya can be a lil' bitch about it an' go the way a' Andrea's lil' sis an' just never speak ta his ass again."

Merle shrugged.

"Either damn way…if he likes pie…reckon he's gonna eat that shit," Merle growled before digging back into the pie in front of him.

Daryl sat back in his chair, chuckling to himself. He never thought he'd see the damn day that Merle Dixon, in a relatively civil manner, put someone in their place about trying to tell someone who they could and couldn't marry. Yet sure as shit, and sure as he was sitting there with pumpkin pie caked in the corners of his mouth, that's what the hell he'd done.

Daryl glanced around and noticed that nearly everyone…even Michonne…had at least somewhat of a smirk on their face.

Sasha wasn't wearing a smirk, but her expression looked something a little more sorrowful than what she'd been wearing earlier. Daryl wasn't sure if she was going to apologize, but he was sure she wasn't going to do it now. She seemed like a pretty proud girl. Chances were, though, that at least she knew what the options were.

"Can I have some of that?" Andrea asked Merle after a moment.

He smirked at her and slid the pie between them so that she could eat from the part that he'd already started to destroy.

Daryl smirked.

"Fuck…gimme some too…" Daryl said.

"Come on an' get it if ya want it," Merle said.

"We do have plates," Carol offered. "And more pie…"

She got up from the table and Michonne got up without saying anything to help her. As Michonne rounded around the table she offered Celine to Daryl and he took her, waiting patiently for Carol to bring the plates while the little girl balanced on his legs, grinning at him with her tiny teeth shining, totally unaware of the fact that right now there was some girl…her soon to be aunt…sitting across the table eating her words while everyone else was finishing their dinner and preparing to eat pie.

Daryl didn't know if the rest of the dinner would be a hit or a miss, but he knew that for once…and it may be a historical event that never happened again…Merle had shut someone's mouth using no other weapon than pie and the preaching of good damn sense and acceptance.